St Patricks Well

On flat ground at the bottom of a N-facing bluff (H c. 6m) and c. 50m from the SW bank of the NW-SE Boyle River where Ath Carpait, the ford of the chariot, may have been (FitzPatrick 1998, 354). A subcircular well (dims 1.4m NE-SW; c. 1m NW-SE) is covered by a D-shaped, masonry structure (ext. dims 2m NE-SW; 1.72m NW-SE) with a cement roof (max. H 1.05m) which is surmounted by a modern Latin cross. The well has a rectangular opening (Wth 0.65m; H 0.45m) to the NE, but there is no evidence of veneration. An oval piece of limestone (RO006-066002-) (dims 0.75m x 0.35m; H 0.3-0.4m) with two natural depressions on its upper surface is set in the ground 3.2m NE of the well and is regarded as having the knee-impressions of St Patrick. A stream runs off to the NE from the saint's stone. Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010

Linked to St Patrick, the well is associated with early Christian pilgrimage and is named after the saint who is traditionally believed to have driven the snakes from Ireland. The nearby ford, Ath Carpait, suggests a possible historical or ritual crossing point connected to the site.