Toberderg, holy well in County Clare

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What is recorded here

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At the head of a NE–SW ravine, on the E side of a roughly N-S running boreen, within a large multiperiod field system (CL005-160001-). The land falls very steeply c. 40m to the SW. Indicated and labelled ‘Toberderg’ on the 1842 and 1920 eds. of the OS 6-inch map, and ‘Tobar Dearg’ on Robinson’s map (1977). A natural spring rises from the base of a rock face (4m E–W; H. 0.6m) and cascades over many small solution holes (pools) at various levels in the area. The water generally collects in a shallow pool immediately to the E, then seeps SW, soaking a triangular upper rock shelf in the ravine, c. 10m below the level of the well, before flowing as a waterfall (H c. 15m) to the flat ravine floor. No votive offerings were visible. In the past it was resorted to as a cure for rheumatism (heritage.clareheritage.org/places/holy-wells/tobar-derg-eanty-more accessed 31 January 2022). There is a cashel (CL009-053007-) c. 109m to the SSE and a fulacht fia (CL009-148----) c. 155m to the SW.

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record CL009-053008

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Photo credits

Maker not stated on source page, en.wikipedia.org
Maker not stated on source page, ca.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, in.pinterest.com
Maker not stated on source page, www.alamy.com
Roger Diel, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Roger Diel, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
N Chadwick, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Colin Park, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
Maker not stated on source page, www.dreamstime.com
Neil Theasby, commons.wikimedia.org

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