Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

St. Finian's Well in the parish of Newcastle is an enclosed natural spring in a lintelled granite recess within a concrete structure. It is dedicated to St Finian (Ó Danachair 1958, 82; Swan 1986, 8-9). Folklore collected in 1937 from Saggart School recorded the follow details about this well; 'This is an old story going around the village of Newcastle about St. Finian's Well. The well which is about three feet in diameter and two feet in height and guarded by a concrete coping was by St. Finian himself. It is said that in the year 1798 English soldiers, stationed in the village of Newcastle, desecrated the well, by one of them washing his feet in it. The story goes on to say that well flooded the whole village of Newcastle, and the big body of soldiers were drowned. The Catholic curate of Newcastle had to bless the waters. When the waters were blessed by him, they slowly but surely receded back into the well. This is but one of the stories associated with St. Finian's Well. It is said that there are cures connected with it also. There is one story told of a lame man who came to the well and took a bucket of water home with him. He immediately bathed his foot in the water and kept doing so for some time, and at the end of three weeks his foot was completely better. This practice has been going on up to the present day for all kinds of diseases' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0794, Page 371; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4428215/4386644/4456676).

See attached photos (01/02/03) taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F024.06.00036 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16620; F024.06.00037 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46709 and F024.06.00038 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/46710.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 19 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.

Swan, D.L. 1986 Newcastle Lyons: the prehistoric and Early Christian periods. In P. O'Sullivan (ed.), Newcastle Lyons: a parish of the Pale, Dublin, 2-4. Dublin. Geography Publications.