Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

This is marked on the 1841-42 and 1939 OS maps as 'Toberreendoney' (Tobar Rí an Domhnaigh - well of the king of Sunday). Situation and Description: This is a small pool situated in a sunken area at the bottom of a field. Rounds/Offerings: It is still visited, especially on Sundays in May. Rags are usually left on trees as offerings. The well is remarkable for curing any disease. Legend: The well moved when profaned.

Holy well known locally as ‘Tobar Dominae’ described in 1943 by the ITA Survey as; ‘a spring well enclosed with trees & a low ditch. The usual “Rounds” are paid there every Sunday particularly during the month of May. There is a very strong tradition that a number of remarkable eye cures have taken place there. One see’s the usual pieces of cloth, religious objects, etc. left on the trees after the completion of the “Round” which is usually three Rosary’s said while walking around the well. There is a tradition about the well which relates that the well was on the lands of Woulfe. A lady of the Woulfe household caring [nothing] or respect for old customs & tradition washed clothes in the well. Next morning the well had transferred to its present site on the adjoining lands. A remarkable run of ill lick still follows the Woulfe family’ (SMR file).

Ó Danachair (1958, 161-2) recorded the following details about this well; 'There is a patron held at Knockanure cross on the 15th of August, where it is said there is a holy well called Tobar Righ an Domhnaigh" OSL, 249. This probably refers to the well in Gortdromagownagh (no. 24 above) but there is a vague tradition of a former holy well somewhere near the village of Knockanure'.

Folklore collected from Knockanure School recorded the following tradition about this well; ‘Every district has a pattern day. The people selected one day in each year for going in processions on the shrine of the Saint, this day became known as the pattern day. Every parish has not a pattern day only those who had a holy well or shrine in the parish the meetings held in Knockanure seemed to have commenced in the former or procession on to a holy well in O Connors land in Gurtdromagowna the day for paying the rounds is the 15th August. In later times they changed from this custom from visiting the well but instead the people stayed in the village so to day when we come to Pattern meetings who do not know the original meaning on Pattern days' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0405, Page 319;https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613713/4611501).

The above description is derived from C. Toal, ‘North Kerry Archaeological Survey’. Dingle. Brandon in association with FAS Training and Employment Authority (1995), no. 902. 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.

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

Ó Danachair, C. 1958 The Holy Wells of North County Kerry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 88, 153-63.

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).