St. Marys Well

A well is marked on the 1839 and 1940 eds of the OS 6-inch map and described in gothic lettering on both as St. Mary’s Well. It is situated on a slight W-facing slope and on the W side of the S-N road (R736) from Tagoat to Rosslare Strand. It is opposite the Roman Catholic church in Tagoat. The well is subcircular (int. diam. 0.9m E-W; 0.86m N-S) with a domed canopy of brick (max. H 1m), and has an opening (Wth 0.5m; H 0.8m) facing N. There is a limestone sill at the opening, which has a projecting masonry ‘pier’ on either side. There are no offerings at the well, and there is no record of a pattern, but it was probably connected with the parish church of Rosslare (WX048-006001-) c. 1.3km to the N, which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. Archaeological testing (01E0734) c. 70m to the E and c. 70m to the W at the closest points produced no related material (Stafford 2002; excavations.ie 2001:1316). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 7 January, 2014 Amended; 1 December 2020

St. Mary's Well is traditionally associated with the veneration of the Virgin Mary and was likely a site of pilgrimage and healing rituals. Historical mapping suggests its longstanding recognition, though specific cures or folklore linked to the well are not well documented.