Tobernashaght-ninneen

On SW side of Gleann an Mháma overlooking Joyce's River on the valley floor. This spring well, correctly Tobar na Seacht nlníon, consists of a small wet hollow at the foot of a rock scarp. It appears to have been originally covered by a lintel (now displaced) and there is also a small drystone cairn nearby. The well is now completely overgrown and long disused but is said to have been frequented in November (pers. comm. T. Robinson). (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 3, 42; Hardiman 1846, 120-1) The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993). Date of upload: 05 August 2010

Linked to the Seven Sisters (Seacht Níon), a common motif in Irish holy well tradition, the well is associated with fertility and healing, particularly for women's ailments. Local tradition holds that the sisters were transformed into stones or spirits guarding the spring, and offerings or prayers at the site are made for safe childbirth or general well-being.