Water mill - horizontal-wheeled

The National Monuments Service's description

Possible site of watermill located in an area of poorly drained land which has been partially landscaped in the 1950s by local people under the direction of Fr. Peadar Swayne and have incorporated a possible holy well (KD027-010001-) and water course along with two stones known local as "St. Brigid's kneeling-stones" into their landscaping. Manning (2007, 13-15) suggested that the so called kneeling stones may be water flumes belonging to an early Christian horizontal watermill mentioned in the Life of Brigit, written by Cogitosus in the late 7th century.
The possible holy well was described by Fitzgerald (1903-5, 130) as 'the real St. Brigid's Well (KD027-010001-) situated, in a neglected state on a bit of commons called "The Grallach" (i.e., a miry place) in the townland of Brallistown. A strong clear flow of water issues from it, and flows into the gripe of the neighbouring ditch, in which, side by side, lie two stones known as "St. Brigid's kneeling-stones", through which the water passes. These stones are in reality a couple of water-shoot stones from either the top of the church-walls (KD022-034----), or from the top of the former castle, and lay just below the battlements; they measure 32 inches [0.81m] in length, 12 inches [0.3m] in breadth, with a groove or channel 3 inches [0.08m] wide running down their length, except for the last 10 inches [0.25m], where it is bored through the stones'. The suggestion that the stones were drainage stones from the battlements of Tully church tower or castle is incorrect as the two stones are not similar to drainage stones found on the wall-walk of a castle or church. Manning (2007, 12-15) suggested that the two stones may be flumes from a horizontal mill, however Rynne (2007, 21-23), thinks that this suggestion is unlikely.
Today the stones are situated at E end of contemplative landscaped garden. Two water chutes, known locally as ‘St. Brigid's Slippers’ or ‘kneeling stones’, incorporated into a water channel associated with St. Brigid's well (KD027-010001-) located 30m to W. Of granite (L 0.8m; Wth 0.3m) with a shallow open channel on their upper surfaces terminating a narrow enclosed, bored-out spout (diam. 0.08m). Corn Mill depicted on 1838 ed. OS map located 300m to SE of these stones. The waterlogged area where the holy well and water channel is located has the appearance of a possible mill-pond and may suggest that there was a mill site located here and that the water channel represents the possible remains of a mill race.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 13 June 2018

References

Rynne, C. 2007 How Early Irish Horizontal-Wheeled Mills Really Worked. Archaeology Ireland 21 (3), 21-3.

Manning, C. 2007 Could well be a mill. Archaeology Ireland 21 (1), 12-15.