Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on the side entrance into St. Catherine's Park. There are two wells side by side, with arched coverings. This one is higher than the other (DU017-002002-). Tradition has it that the water from the larger well was drunk and the water from the smaller well was used to bathe sore eyes. Joyce described the wells as being canopied, the larger having a wooden door and a stone head (1912, 359). In 1958 the stone head fixed to the higher arch had been stolen more than once (Ó Danachair 1958, 82). This has since been removed and the well hood vandalised. No longer venerated.
Folklore collected from Palmerstown School recorded the following details about St Catherine's Wells; 'There are two wells beside each other in a farm called St. Catherine's now owned by Mr. McMahon. The two wells are connected. The water of one flows into the other. It is said that the two are holy wells and are named St. Catherine's Wells. Mr. McMahon told me that the well to the right is the Holy Well and that the other well is not. Over the well at the right there is the model of a head. It is said that it represents St. Catherine.
The waters are believed to have the virtue of curing sore eyes. People used to come there to pray and to wash their eyes with the water. I don't know if they left rags or other articles after them at the well or not.
The water of the well to the left are used for many purposed but the waters of the other well are never used. Those who pass by stop at the this well and drink a little of the water, and perhaps pray there' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0795, Pages 101d-f; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428221/4386928).

Folklore collected in 1937 from Lucan Presentation Convent recorded the following tradition about this well; 'St. Catherines's Well between Lucan and Leixlip is a very ancient Well. It is said that a man wished to bring it to his house with pipes. He asked the priest. If he would give him leave to do so. The priest said he could not that if he did he would never get the water hot. But the man did as he liked he put the pipes from it but he could never get the water warm no matter how much fuel he put on the fire' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0794, Pages 38-9).
A second story collected from the same school recorded that; 'In the western side of Lucan is the famous St. Catherine's. There is a well still here called St. Catherine's Well. Was it one of the holy wells of Ireland? A bust of the Saint is all that is left to tell the tale. Many a poor villager have I known to make a pilgrimage there and with its waters to bathe the weak eyes, the deaf ears, and the languid limbs. In the year 1219 the Canons of the Congregation of St. Victor took possession of the hallowed spot. Warrisius de Peche gave the site. It was he who built the Church of the Blessed Mary of Lucan, and it was to this community he left it in charge; and there they prayed and laboured with ceaseless zeal for the temporal and eternal weal of the people of Lucan. The Lord of Leixlip, Sir Adam de Hereford, assigned then lands in Leixlip, on the condition they would pray for the repose of the souls of his forefathers' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0794, Pages 39-40; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428213/4386676).
Folklore collected from Lucan School in 1937 recorded that; 'In the northern end of Lucan parish about a half mile from the Liffey and about three quarters of a mile away from Leixlip, there are two wells one of which is called St Catherine's Well. One is a large one and the other is a small one; the water of the small one has a cure for sore eyes. About a furlong away from the wells are the ruins of an old convent. It is said that in olden times that St Catherine was taken from the convent and was slain where the wells are now. It is also said that these wells came from where the blood lodged when she was killed, and above another furlong away from the well there are the ruins of an old chapel, ghosts are seen her frequently' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0794, Pages 307-8; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428214/4386574)

See attached photos taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00392 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/34329 and F024.06.00389 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16745.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 17 April 2023

References

Joyce, W. St. John, 1912 (1988 ed.) Neighbourhood of Dublin. Monkstown.

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.