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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ritual site - holy well

Ballyboghil, County Dublin, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ritual site - holy well, Ballyboghil, County Dublin, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Ballyboghil
County
Dublin
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Not indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Not indicated
Coordinates
53.52287, -6.26990
SMR number
DU007-019----

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1799 map "Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1799 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1811 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1841 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

St Bretcha'a holy well was also known locally as 'St. Bretsha's well'. Described in 1958 as a 'muddy pool in a field fence dike about 100 yds. from Ballyboghill old church ruin (DU007-010----). No memory of devotions, but known to be a former holy well. The name is variously given as Braitsea, Braitsi, Braitsan and Breacan'(Ó Danachair 1958, 74). The location of the well is shown on a sketch map of the village (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0787, Page 363; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428182/4384545/4443044). See attached sketch map of Ballyboghil village showing the location of St Bretcha's Well. According to the folklore collected from Ballyboghill School, there was; 'No tradition connected with St Bretcha's Well. A spring still' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0787, Page 363; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428182/4384545).

See attached photos taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00277 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46713 and F024.06.00278 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46714.

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.

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
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