Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Downings North, County Kildare, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Downings North
- County
- Kildare
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Farnans Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Farnans Well
- Coordinates
- 53.28721, -6.78442
- SMR number
- KD013-009----
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
The OSL (Herity 2002, 38) record, '… St Farannan's (sic) well, where stations were formerly performed on the 12th of June (some say July). Farannan is considered the Patron-Saint' . According to Jackson (1979-80, 148) various cures were said to have been obtained there, and anyone drinking the water would loose the desire for intoxicating liquor. The well was located on level pasture c. 100m S of a broad expanse of bog and c. 450m WSW of the traditional site of St Farnan's monastery (KD013-008----). There is no obvious visible surface trace of the monument.
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy
Date of upload: 10 June 2011
Nearby in the register
- Ecclesiastical enclosureunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Cross-inscribed stoneunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.