What is recorded here

Knocklong hill on the east side once held three holy wells dedicated to St. Patrick and St. Paul, visible enough for surveyors to mark them in 1840. By 1955 only one rough dry-stone spring and scattered old masonry remained, stripped of the traditions that might have explained why people walked there. Trees have since swallowed the ground completely, turning a known ritual place into a green mystery where devotion faded before memory did.

Three holy wells dedicated to St. Patrick and St Paul depicted on the 1840 ed. OS 6-inch map. Ó Danachair (1955, 209) recorded the following details about these wells; ‘There are two holy wells, St Patrick's and St Paul's Wells, on the east side of Knocklong hill". OSL - One spring, lined with rough dry-stone, and some old masonry remain. No tradition seems to have survived'. This area is now covered with trees and vegetation making it impossible to verify the location of these holy wells. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 20 June 2019

St. Patrick's and St. Paul's Wells in Knocklong East are associated with the patronage of two major Christian saints, with traditions of healing and spiritual protection linked to their names. Local lore suggests that the wells were sites of pilgrimage and ritual use, particularly for curing ailments and seeking divine intercession.

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