Virgin Marys Well

Situated at the bottom of the E-facing foothills of the Monavullagh Mountains, c. 350m W of the NW-SE River Tay. The parish church of Kilrossanty (WA023-007001-) is within a D-shaped graveyard (WA023-007002-) defined by stone-faced earthen banks with straight N and E sides. The graveyard is part of a suboval or D-shaped ecclesiastical enclosure (WA023-007008-) (dims. c. 65m E-W; 42m N-S) defined by a curved scarp (H 0.9-1.2m) outside the graveyard NE-SE and the graveyard perimeter S-W. At the base of the scarp at E are three holy wells. Tober Mhuire (WA023-007003-), the most northerly is a subcircular stone-lined well (dims. 1.5m E-W; 1.1m N-S; D 0.7m) with no evidence of veneration, but there is a lintel across the outflow, which is the origin of a small stream. There is no evidence of veneration, but in the 1840s offerings were left at the W wall of the church (O'Flanagan 1929, 36-7). (Power 1897b, 6-9; Power 1938a, 64-5) O'Flanagan, M. (Compiler) (1929) Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Waterford collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1841. Typescript. Bray. Power, Rev. P. (1897b) The ancient ruined churches of Waterfoed. WAJ 3, 3-12, 72-8; 216-227. Power, Rev. P. (1938a) Some old churches of Decies, JRSAI, 68, 55-68. Date of upload: 25th March, 2011. Compiled by: Michael Moore.

Linked to the Virgin Mary, the well is traditionally associated with healing and protection, with pilgrims visiting to seek her intercession for various ailments. Historical accounts suggest that the site may have been a place of Marian devotion since the early Christian period, with customs such as leaving coins or prayers at the well persisting into the 19th century.