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Tobernagleenagh

Holy well

What is recorded here

In pasture, on NW edge of boggy area shown as pond on 1937 OS 6-inch map. Well barely visible due to overgrowth, no longer in holy use. Recorded by Grove White (1905-25, vol. 1, 140) as holy well '...called Tobernagleenagh. According to local tradition, a saint was passing through Kilmaclenine (about 2 miles to the north), and being thirsty he asked for a drink of water from a well there. It was refused. He took up the well in the tail of his gown and dropped it at Ballykitt. The water is considered a cure for all diseases. The people pay rounds here.' The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 4: North Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 2000). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009
Linked to Saint Nicholas (Nagleenagh being a variant of his name), the well was traditionally associated with cures for skin ailments and general healing. It is mentioned in early 20th-century folklore collections as a site of local veneration, though its holy use has since ceased.

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What survives
Recorded monument

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