Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

The precise location of St Brendan's holy well in this townland has not been identified. Folklore collected from Ballymacelligott School recorded the following tradition about this well; ' In Laurence Keanes land in Cragg is St. Brendans Well. Its correct name is "Tobar Uaimh Bhreánáin". William Keane (born 1868) saw rounds made there by women and old and young as late as 1890 to 1910 and of course earlier. He mentions the names of two women as being the greatest habitues of the place. Raised bank around well is about one and a half feet in height. Rags used to be left in the little fence by people paying rounds. William Keane thinks the days for making rounds were May Eve, May Day and perhaps June 24. (Dates for paying rounds at "Weathers Well" in Ardfert are the Saturdays before May 1, June 24 and Michaelmas - June being the biggest concourse. One of Kean's cows was drowned in the well about 1850. She fell in head fore most and could not pull herself out. After this many stones were thrown into the well to make it more shallow. The local tradition about the well is now wearing away and in another generation might be forgotten. Hence the elaboration. Writing in 1841 John O'Donovan goes out of his way to state that there was a Holy Well in the O'Brennan district called St. Brendans' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0443, Pages 062-4; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4706340/4704133).

Described by O'Hare (2000, 65-6) as; 'The presence of a holy well in this townland is not recorded on either edition of the OS maps. According to Ó Danachair, the precise location of the well known as "St Brendan's Well" is not clear. However he records that "it is located a short distance to the north-east of O'Brennan graveyard". He noted that the well was known to have been the scene of devotions in former times, though not within living memory (op. cit., 163). The present landowner claimed that the well recorded by Ó Danachair was not in fact the holy well. Instead he directed the author to a second well, a short distance north-north-west of the graveyard. This, he claimed, was once known as the holy well. The field fence which at one time bordered this site on the west has been replaced by a farm trackway. The land is under pasture and slopes to the south. The well is now closed over by a concrete slab. Though the water level occasionally runs low, it is said to seldom dry up altogether. The landowner was unaware of any cures or traditions associated with the site. The water from both of these wells now supplies the O'Brennan House'.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 28 April 2022

References

O'Hare, P. 2000 Holy wells and other sites of pilgrimage within a portion of East Kerry. Journal of the Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society 29, 55-98.

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