Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Tobermichael/Tobar Michíl: A spring well now surrounded by a concrete wall. A small cross-inscribed stone stands upright on the parapet of the nearby bridge. The stone is 0.32m high, 0.18m wide and 0.1m thick and its N and S faces bear plain Latin crosses. A pattern was formerly held here on Michaelmas day and rounds are still made by a few (Ó Danachair 1960, 74).

Holy well described by Ó Danachair (1960, 74) as 'a good spring in a little rectangular cistern; on the bridge nearby is a small upright slab with a plain cross incised. Rounds are still made by a few on Michaelmas. Nine circuits of the well are made while reciting a rosary; pebbles are used to count the rounds; water is drunk and applied for the cure of headache, toothache, warts and other ailments, and small objects are left as offerings. Formerly, large numbers came on Michaelmas and held a pattern. Water is taken for domestic use. Legend : The fish which lives in the well was taken with some water, which would not boil until the fish was restored to the well'.

See attached photographs of Tobermichael, Co. Kerry taken 1947 by Caoimhín Ó Danachair courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F025.18.00267/8/9 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16871; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24633;https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24634 and F025.18.00359/60/61 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16906; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24621; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24622.

See attached colour photographs courtesy of Amanda Clarke.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 925. 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: 14 April 2022

References

Cuppage, J. 1986 Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne.

Ó Danachair, C. 1960 The Holy Wells of Corkaguiney, Co. Kerry. The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 67-78.