Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

At the N boundary of a field of damp pasture, 50m NW of a stream, on the S outskirts of the village of Kilshanny. Marked and labelled ‘St. Senan’s Well’ on the 1840 and 1916 eds. OS 6-inch maps. The OS Letters (Comber 1997, 99) and Westropp (1910, 150) report that the well is dedicated to St Senan, but Lenihan recorded a possible dedication to St Simon (1997, 55). While O’Donovan in the OS Letters reported that the well was ‘entirely neglected’, the Schools Folklore Collection contains several accounts of veneration at the well into the 1930s, summarised by Lenihan (1997). The well was believed to have a cure for sore eyes. No pattern day was associated with site in the 1930s, but the visiting-days were said to be Monday-Friday-Monday or Monday-Thursday-Monday. The rounds comprised the recitation of ‘one Pater, five Aves, one Gloria and the Creed per round’. Water from the well was then drank, rubbed on the eyes or taken home in bottles. The large ash tree at the site was also regarded as ‘being holy’ and it was deemed unlucky to cut its branches (ibid, 55).

A holy well, with a SE-facing D-plan drystone wellhouse (H 1.25m; Wth 2m; D 1.7m). Three openings are present in the SE façade of the monument. The lowest opening (H 0.39m; Wth 0.42m; D 0.94m) provides access to the well water. It is roofed by a large flagstone (T 5cm). Two parallel niches (L 0.26m; Wth 0.27m; D 0.24m; and L 0.24m; Wth 0.24m; D 0.28m) are found above the flagstone, probably intended for the placement of votive offerings. A large ash tree growing out of the monument has caused the E corner to collapse. An almost square flagstone (L 0.89m; Wth 0.79m) set in front of the well-opening, serves as a ‘kneeling stone’ facilitating access to the well.

The following images have been uploaded:
CL015-015----_01.jpg View of well from S
CL015-015----_02.jpg View of well from SE

Compiled by: Mary Tunney and Eve Campbell

Date of upload: 28 June 2023

References:
Westropp, T. J. 1910 Notes on the antiquities around Kilfenora and Lehinch, Co. Clare, part III. North Munster Antiquarian Journal 1, 147-59.
Lenihan, E. 1997, The holy wells of Kilshanny Parish. The Other Clare 21, 55–6.

References

Comber, M. (ed.) 1997 The antiquities of County Clare: John O’Donovan and Eugene Curry: Ordnance Survey Letters 1839. Clasp Press. Ennis.