St. Killaans Well

Some 35m NE of a church (GA086-150001-) and 110m SW of another holy well (GA086-149----). A natural spring well, dry at the time of visit, enclosed by a rectangular drystone wall (N-S 3.5, E-W 2.65m) opening to S. A small enclosure (N-S 4.8m, E-W 2.95m), similarly defined, adjoins it on E side. This is probably the well mentioned in OS letters (O'Flanagan 1927, Vol. 1, 605-6) as being 'near the old church'. They record that a pattern was held here on Garland Sunday 'in honour of Saint Laan, the patron of the parish'. The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. II - North Galway'. Compiled by Olive Alcock, Kathy de hÓra and Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1999). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

St. Killaans Well is associated with a local tradition of healing, particularly for skin ailments and general well-being, and is linked to the broader Irish practice of visiting holy wells for spiritual and physical cure. The site's proximity to another holy well and a church suggests it may have been part of a network of early Christian pilgrimage or devotional sites.