Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Annotated 'Holy Well' on the 1837 ed. OSi 6-inch map, accessed from lane off the old road that runs through Balrothery Village. The following folklore was collected from Balrothery School abut this well known locally as 'Biddy Boughy's Well; 'It appears that long ago there was a holy well in the Chapel Lane close to the school and a woman named Biddy Boughy who lived in the lane washed clothes in it one day. This polluted the well and it dried up immediately. The old people say that it sprang up it another places in the village down a little lane close to Mary Mc Gann's house, and it is still called Biddy Boughy's well' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0784, Page 79; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4498253/4383794/4507067). Biddy Boughy's Well was described by Ó Danachair in 1958 as; 'a good well of clear water, lined with stone to ground level. Used for domestic supply. No tradition of an y devotion or other practices' (Ó Danachair 1958, 74). This holy well was described in 1973 as; 'Approached by path from old main road. Still has water in it, c. 2' deep, in round basin, 2'3" diameter, top of which is of concrete, though lower part (under water) seems to be of stone' (H.A. Wheeler 22/03/1973, SMR File).
Described in 1992 as a round stone basin (diam. 0.68m) which formed the base of the well (D 0.6m). The well was stone lined and covered with board, soil and dump. There is no local memory of veneration but there is a local tradition that there was a holy well in Chapel Lane (Ó Danachair 1958, 74). Known locally as Biddy Boughy's well (Skyvova 2005, 46). Uncovered by holy well enthusiasts in March 2014.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 11 April 2023

References

Skyvova, P. 2005 Fingallian Holy Wells. Fingal County Libraries.

O'Danachair, C. 1958 The holy wells of Dublin. In Reportorium Novum 2 (1). 68-87.