What is recorded here

Tobernashaght-ninneen is a hidden holy well on the southwest side of Gleann an Mháma, where a wet hollow at the foot of a rock scarp once gave clean water to those who sought it. The displaced lintel and nearby drystone cairn suggest people marked the spot for ritual use, while November visits kept the well alive in local memory. Now overgrown and quiet, it still holds the shape of human devotion beside Joyce's River.

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.

The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.