Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

In hazel forest c. 14m to the NE of ‘St Mac Duagh’s church’ (CL006-023001-). Indicated and named ‘Tobermacduagh’ on the 1842 and 1915 eds. of the OS 6-inch maps. A holy well fed by a bifurcating stream, one branch of which is overlain by a D-shaped enclosure (int. dims. 1.3m N–S; 1.2m E–W along its straight S side) defined by a drystone wall (H over int. 1.8m; Wth 0.8m) with a lintelled ope (Wth 0.6m; H 0.8m) in its S wall. There is a small niche on its E side, beside the entrance. At the time of survey (1997), it contained a deposit of oyster shells. The well now attracts considerably more offerings, most of which are ribbons tied to a nearby tree (Kirby 2016). There are two penitential stations to the SSW, one (CL006-023003-) in the E end of the church and the other (CL006-023009-) just to its N, a hermitage cave (CL006-023004-) c. 40m SW and a possible bullaun stone (CL006-023006-) just 10m N of it, and a graveyard (CL006-023002-) c. 30m SSE. All these remains may be contained within an enclosure (CL006-023010-), but this this is difficult to trace through the forest.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL006-023005-_01.jpg View of well from SE
CL006-023005-_02.jpg View of lintelled ope at well

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Ros Ó Maoldúin

Date of upload: 13 May 2021

References

Kirby, T. 2016 Votive offerings deposition at St Colman Mac Duagh’s Hermitage, Eagle’s Rock, Keelhilla. Report prepared for Burren/Cliffs GeoparkLIFE project. Available at https://www.burrengeopark.ie/geopark-life/tourism-studies/ [accessed 12 May 2021]