St. Johns Well

Marked on the 1839 and 1925 eds of the OS 6-inch map and described as St. John’s Well in gothic script on both. It is situated in a slight N-S valley or fold on a S-facing slope with a small stream c. 10m to the E and c. 140m N of the stream’s confluence with the E-W Corock River. John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 says that the pattern at St. John’s well was discontinued since 1798, but he does not give the date of the pattern (O’Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 217). The well is within a circular area (diam. c. 10m) defined by an earthen bank (Wth 2-3m; H 0.5m) with some mature trees. There is an entrance (Wth 1.3m) in the bank at W defined by two roughly-dressed granite pillars (H 0.8m), but there is no evidence of a well-house or of veneration. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 18 February, 2013

St. John’s Well is traditionally associated with St. John the Baptist and was likely used for seasonal rituals, particularly on St. John’s Eve (23–24 June), when people would gather for blessings, healing, and fire-related customs. The well’s long-standing presence on official maps suggests its historical and cultural significance in the local landscape.