Tober Cormac

In the corner of a field, on a N-facing slope. A waterlogged muddy overgrown area and some moss-covered stones mark the site of the well. A local legend, recorded in 1836, told that the mother of Cormac Mac Airt gave birth to Cormac while collecting water at Tober Cormac but while she was asleep the baby was taken by a wolf to a cave at Kesh (SL039-034----) to SE; some years later Cormac was returned to his mother (OSL, 161). A stretch of the road known as Bothar an Corann (SL033-145----) is c. 80m to the SW. (Kielty 2001, 4) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Sligo' compiled by Ursula Egan, Elizabeth Byrne, Mary Sleeman with Sheila Ronan and Connie Murphy (Dublin Stationery Office, 2005). Date of upload: 18 January 2008

Tober Cormac is associated with Saint Cormac, a 3rd-century Irish high king and patron saint of Cashel, linked to early Christian and pre-Christian traditions. The well's name and legend may reflect a fusion of historical and mythological narratives, possibly involving the legendary mother of Cormac mac Airt, who was a semi-legendary king of Munster.