Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Garraun Lower, County Galway, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Garraun Lower
- County
- Galway
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.22925, -8.94812
- SMR number
- GA095-038002-
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 1753 "Mappa geographica Regni Hiberniae" (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 N-facing slope in undulating grassland. This natural spring well is defined by a D-shaped drystone-built chamber (0.75m N-S; 0.7m E-W) which is set 4.5m below ground level. On inspection, the well (D 1m) was accessed from a stile on the roadside, via a series of stone steps running E-W for 3.75m then turning at a right angle down a sloping drystone-built passage (6m N-S) with a lintelled roof. The entrance to the passage was covered by a large limestone capstone (L 1.2m; Wth 1m). Some coins found on the step nearest to the water were the only evidence to suggest that this is a holy well.
Compiled by: Galway Archaeological Survey, UCG
Date of upload: 19 December 2017. Revised: 28 March 2023
Nearby in the register
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Bullaun stoneunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.