St. Patricks Well

In pasture, located on a gentle slope c. 40m SE of a rath (MA080-046001-). Named ‘St Patrick’s Well’ on the 1838 and 1919 OS 6-inch maps, this consist of a circular sod-covered earth and stone mound (diam. 6-7.5m; H 0.6m) with a shallow central hollow (diam. 0.8-1m; D 0.25m). Unusually, the well is not located at a spring but, according to tradition, utilised water gathered in the hollow of a bullaun stone (MA080-046003-). An account of this was recorded by Knox (1902, 188-9): ‘The well consists of a hollow in a large stone which is slightly below ground level, and has the appearance of being having been built around. The hollow is oval, 17 inches by 15 inches, and 7 inches deep [0.43m by 0.39m by 0.18m]. Although there is no spring, it is said that there is always water in it…The country people say that stations used to be held, marked by wooden crosses, starting from the well and round the rath back to the well.’ When inspected in 1998, there was no trace of the bullaun stone in the central hollow of the mound. Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy Date of upload: 3 December 2021

Linked to St. Patrick, the well is traditionally associated with Christian pilgrimage and healing practices. The proximity to a rath suggests a possible overlay of early Christian and prehistoric sacred sites, reflecting the continuity of ritual use in the landscape.