Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

St. John the Baptist's Well/Tobar Eoin Baiste: A drystone-built well located on the W side of Minard Bay, about 150m NE of Kilmurry church (KE054-061----). A small stone which stands above the well bears a plain, inscribed Latin cross on its E face. Rounds are made here on the 29th of August and a pattern was formerly held on the same day (Ó Danachair 1960, 76).

Holy well described by Ó Danachair (1960, 76) as, 'A small well, walled in drystone to a foot over ground level and banked up on the outside; on the bank stands a small upright slab with a roughly incised cross. Rounds are still made on the 29th of August, on which day a pattern was held formerly. The water is drunk and hands and face washed. Pebbles are used to count the rounds. The water cures headache, toothache and other pains. Small objects are left as offerings. The water is some times taken for domestic use. Legends : Saint John's head was seen near the well. The water stays fresh however long it is kept. A blind man saw a vision of the saint at the well and was cured. A golden fish lives in the well; it was taken in some water, which would not heat until the fish was restored to the well'.

Folklore collected between 1937-38 from Breac-Cluain school recorded the following tradition; 'There is a holy well behind at Minard. It is near the sea. There is a wall around the well. The people pay the round on the 29th of August. the people go around the well nine times. Every one that pays the round must get nine berries and at every round they will drop a berry. There is a trout in the well. Any one that will see the trout will be cured. There is a stone standing at the top of the wall and there is a cross on the stone. The people that pay the round leave offerings at that stone. The people leave a few coppers and buttons and pins and the women leave a tassel of their shawl. After you would leave the round paid you would take three sups of the holy water. On you taking the water you would bless your self. Some people bring home the holy water to drink. As long as you would have the holy water in the house it would be fresh. The well is up on a height. The water cures a headache. The name of the well is Tobar Naomh Eoin baiste' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0426, Page 604-05; https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4678409/4678276).

See attached photographs of St. John the Baptist's Well, Co. Kerry, taken 1947 by Caoimhín Ó Danachair courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F025.18.00304 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16887; F025.18.00305 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24629; F025.18.00306 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/24630.

The above description is derived from J. Cuppage, ‘Corca Dhuibhne. Dingle Peninsula archaeological survey. Ballyferriter. Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne’ (1986), no. 946. 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

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

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