Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Keerhaunmore, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Keerhaunmore
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Tobercaillin Holy Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- Tobercaillin Holy Well
- Coordinates
- 53.41455, -10.16883
- SMR number
- GA048-012----
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
On a rocky hillslope close to the td. boundary and overlooking seashore to S. This well, correctly Tobar Cáillín, was noted by O'Flaherty in 1684 (Hardiman 1846, 110). It consists of a natural spring delimited by a low circular dry stone wall (1m by 0.8m), opening towards W. A small modern cross and some offerings bedeck the well. Immediately to SW is a penitential station: a subcircular setting of stones (3.5m by 3m) with a small cairn (H 0.3m) in W quadrant. Circa 20m to NNE is another setting of stones, oval in plan (5m by 3m), which is known as St Cáillín's Bed. Its grassy interior is littered with small pebbles used during the rounds, seven of which are made at this and the other penitential stations on 13th November, the saint's day. (O'Flanagan 1927a, Vol. 3, 99-101; Killanin 1954, 94)
The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Galway Vol. I - West Galway'. Compiled by Paul Gosling (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1993).
Date of upload: 05 August 2010
Nearby in the register
- Penitential stationunder 1 mi
- Children's burial groundunder 1 mi
- Penitential stationunder 1 mi
- Middenunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.