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Toberreendoney (Site of)

Holy well

What is recorded here

Toberreendoney, correctly Tobar an Domhnaigh, has vanished into a rough patch of Galway soil, leaving behind only a subtle change in the ground rather than a stone basin. It sits on a north-facing slope near a road, waiting for rain to reveal the hidden channel that once carried water to thirsty lips. The well may have served local prayers or simple drink, but time has erased its edges, forcing imagination to complete what measurement cannot capture.
On N-facing slope c. 100m NW of a road and td. boundary. All that remains of this well, correctly Tobar an Domhnaigh, is a patch of rough ground in SE part of a field. (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 1, 325) 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 Saint Domnach, Toberreendoney (Tobar an Domhnaigh) was traditionally associated with healing rituals and was likely a site of pilgrimage. The name suggests it was a Sunday well, possibly used for seasonal or sacred bathing on Sundays, a common practice at many early Christian holy wells in Ireland.

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What survives
Recorded monument

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