Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

St. Catherines Well, a modernised 'holy well'. Located in an area of marshy pasture land beside Cat Castle (DG097-015004-). Described by Ó Muirgheasa in 1936 as 'St. Catherine's Holy Well at Killybegs was once a famous turus. The station is still made with diminished numbers on the 25th November, under which date " Chosen Catherina" is mentioned in O'Gorman's Martyrology, while, strange to say, the Martyrology of Donegal, as well as the Feilire of Aengus make no reference to her. There is little doubt that she is St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr: her cult became popular in the West after the Crusades. Fifty yards from the well, but on a much higher elevation, are the ruins of "Cat Castle". "Cat" may be corrupt English for "Cait" the Irish form of Catherine. Local tradition informs us of a ship arriving at the port from some distant land after undergoing vicissitudes on the ocean. Amongst the passengers was a bishop, who, in thanksgiving to heaven for having been preserved from, death at sea, conducted the other passengers and the crew to the Cealla Beaga, "the little churches", there to give gratitude to God for their preservation. He discovered a well, which he blessed and dedicated to St. Catherine of Egypt, at the same time placing the village and district under her protection and care. Another tradition is that about 1850 a Protestant Rector called Lodge got the well filled up with earth. But next day a spring burst up in his drawingroom, and his terrified wife prevailed on him to re-open the well. It is generally cleaned out on St. Catherine's Eve, and put in decent order for the pilgrimage next day. The late Monsignor Stephens, in his South-Western Donegal, says that the saint commemorated at Killybegs is St. Catherine the Martyr, and that her festival is observed on the 24th November' (Ó Muirgheasa 1936, 146). (Ó Muirgheasa No. 17)
Another variant on the traditional link to seafarers relates that the shrine was founded by shipwrecked sailors of the Spanish Armada, who landed in Donegal Bay (‘Killybegs Pilgrimage to St. Catherine’s Well’ in The Derry Journal, 29 November 1940).

The above description was derived from the 'Archaeological Survey of County Donegal. A description of the field antiquities of the County from the Mesolithic Period to the 17th century.' Compiled by: Brian Lacey with Eamon Cody, Claire Cotter, Judy Cuppage, Noel Dunne, Vincent Hurley, Celie O'Rahilly, Paul Walsh and Seán Ó Nualláin (Lifford: Donegal County Council, 1983). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated.

Compiled by Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload/revision: 03 November 2011