Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Natural spring well situated in an area of rock outcrop adjacent to farm buildings. Enclosed by a recently constructed ditch and bank which was built to keep farm animals out. Annotated 'Lady Well' on all editions of the OSi historic maps. Described by Ó Danachair (1958, 72) as a 'small pool c. 5 ' x 3', between 2 flat rock in the corner of a small garden, with a good spring. No devotions now, but known as a holy well'. Lady Well described in 1974 by Henry A. Wheeler as a small pool with concrete dam, apparently used for watering animals' (SMR File 14/05/1974). Comprises a roughly circular, water filled depression into which modern field drains empty. It was once a large structure and water was channeled through the rock into a small stream (Skyvova, 2005, 51).  Geophysical prospecting within the field immediately to the east of the holy well picked up natural and ferrous anomalies but no definite archaeological sites (Nicholls & Shiel, 2005).

See attached photos (04/05) taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00139 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16655 and F024.06.00140 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/30785.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 11 April 2023

References

Ó Danachair, C. 1958 The holy wells of county Dublin. Reportorium Novum 2, 68-87; 2, No. 2 The holy wells of County Dublin: A supplementary list, 233-5. Skyvova, P. 2005 Fingallian Holy Wells. Fingal County Libraries. Nicholls, J. & Shiel, D. 2005, Geophysical survey report: Balbriggan, 05R137. Unpublished report submitted to the National Monuments Services, Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.