St. Margarets Well — Report the wrong picture

What is recorded here

No one knows when the first stone was set or why Margaret was chosen for that place. Women climbed the stairway with clay jars and rosaries, bathed red eyes in the cold water, and drank before leaving. They believed the well gave back what fever had taken. The convent still stands opposite the road, but the chamber has vanished, leaving only the memory of water moving through rock.

At the S side of a road, opposite Holy Cross Convent. There are no visible remains of this well. In 1945 it was recorded that St. Margaret's Well was 'roofed with stone, about 4ft. [1.21m] in height, and 27ft [8.22m] in circumference' (ITA). At that time a stone stairway leading to the well was 'still serviceable' and parishioners made pilgrimages to the well on the 25 March and 15 August each year (ITA). It was also recorded in the 1940s that on 15th August five 'rounds' were made and a decade of the rosary said for each round; on completion of the 'rounds' people bathed their faces or their eyes with the well water, then drank some of it and took some away with them (Schools Manuscript, Co. Kerry). Compiled by: Elizabeth Byrne, Ursula Egan and Sheila Ronan, Archaeological Survey Unit, University College, Cork. Date of upload: 31 January 2011

St. Margaret's Well is associated with St. Margaret of Antioch, a Christian martyr venerated in medieval Ireland, often linked to protection against childbirth difficulties and snakebite. The well's stone-roofed structure suggests it was a site of pilgrimage and ritual use, though no specific local folklore is recorded.

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.