Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

At the S edge of a level valley floor, with ground rising to the S. Named ‘Toberboydan’ on both the first (1842) and Cassini (1920) editions of the OS 6-inch map. Named ‘Tobar Bhaighdeáin’ on Robinson’s map of the Burren (1977). This holy well comprises a shallow (D 1m) drystone-lined depression (L c. 1.5m; Wth c. 1.5m) in the ground, with a stream running off to the N, located in a boggy area (diam. c. 15m) into which water flows from dense overgrowth and out of which into a field-drain. The OS Letters (1839) recorded an active tradition of visiting this holy well and another nearby ‘for the cure of sore eyes, and for delicate children’ (Comber 1997, 13). Baighdeán is an obscure local saint who is also associated with the nearby monastic site of Kilvoydan (CL017-119001-) c. 3.2km to the SE (Kirby 2021).

References:
Kirby, T. 2021 Tobar Voydan, Tobar Bhaighdeáin, Commons South. The Clare Holy Wells Project. Available @ Tobar Voydan, Tobar Bhaighdeáin, Commons South - County Clare Heritage Office

Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy and Conn Herriott

Date of upload: 20 July 2023

References

Robinson, T. 1977 (revised 1999) The Burren: a two-inch map of the uplands of north-west Clare. Map scale 1:31680. Roundstone: Folding Landscapes.

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