Toberchreest

Located in a natural hollow towards the bottom of a SE-facing slope, with a slight hill rising c. 400m to the SE. The holy well known as Toberchríost - Christ's Well - had a pattern on St. John's Eve, the 28th June, until c. 1820, according to John O'Donovan writing c. 1840 (O'Flanagan 1933, 13). This is a natural spring and the source of a stream that runs off to the S, but there is no evidence of veneration. Archaeological testing (18E0522) of an extensive area of about 14 ha (c. 35 acres) immediately to the W and SW produced potential archaeological material in five of 23 trenches. (Hickey 2018; excavations.ie 2018:253) Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 1 March, 2012 Amended: 26 October 2020

Linked to St. John the Baptist, the holy well at Toberchreest, Kilnahue was associated with a pattern day celebrated on St. John's Eve (28th June), a time when people gathered for prayer, processions, and offerings to seek protection and healing. The site reflects a tradition common in Ireland of associating wells with early Christian saints and observing seasonal rituals to mark the summer solstice and the feast of St. John.