Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Ballymacasy, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballymacasy
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St Colmans Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St Colmans Well
- Coordinates
- 52.54160, -9.46919
- SMR number
- KE006-001----
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
This is marked on the 1840-41 and 1914 OS maps as 'St Colman's Well' (Tobar Colmáin). Situation and Description: It is now closed up and the water piped to Ballylongford. Rounds: No devotions have taken place here in living memory. The well was visited on Midsummer's Eve, and the water was known to cure aches and pains. Legends: A woman washed clothes in the well and it dried up.
Folklore collected from Ballylongford School recorded the following tradition about this well; ‘There are two holy wells in the parish of Ballylongford. One of them is Saint Coleman's well, and it is situated in the townland of Ballymackessy about a mile from the village of Ballylongford. Long ago, people visited this well on Saint John's eve and they brought home some of the water from the well, and if they got any diseases during the year they would bathe the diseased part in the water. This well is not visited at all nowadays' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0402, Page 075; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4666580/4663715).
The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 892. In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.
Revised by: Caimin O’Brien
Date of revised upload: 17 May 2022
References
Toal, C. 1995 North Kerry Archaeological Survey. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority.
Nearby in the register
- Fulacht fiaunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Moated siteunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.