What is recorded here

St. Patrick’s Well in County Longford is a buried bullaun stone with a shallow circular basin, now set inside the remains of an old limekiln mound. People have placed medals and coins in its hollow, treating the stone as a holy well even though a kiln once stood beside it. The contrast between fire-making and prayer-making gives the place its quiet strangeness.

A small circular feature is represented on the 1837 edition of the OS 6-inch map immediately to the E of the symbol for a limekiln (LF009-001002-). The limekiln is not indicated on the OS 25-inch plan (1911), though the circle is shown and is named ‘St. Patrick’s Well.’ The ‘holy well’ may clearly be identified with the bullaun stone which appears to have been moved from its original location and now protrudes from the top of a mound at NNW. The mound is all that remains of the limekiln. The bullaun stone is largely buried and contains a circular basin (diam. 0.14m; D 0.11m) which is covered by a large rounded stone. Religious medals and coins have been placed in the basin. There are at least four similar rounded stones in the immediate vicinity. Compiled by: Olive Alcock and Paul Walsh Date of upload: 22 November 2012

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.