Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Ráth Ciaráin, County Kerry, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ráth Ciaráin
- County
- Kerry
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Finans Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Finans Well
- Coordinates
- 51.84621, -10.33847
- SMR number
- KE096-007----
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
St Finan's Well/Tobar Fhionáin: This spring well is located on the N shore of St Finan's Bay, a short distance W of Killemlagh Medieval church (KE096-009----), which is also dedicated to St Finan. The well is covered by a low lintelled structure and is heavily overgrown. Rounds were formerly made here on the 16th of March (Crawford 1915, 155), and the well was one of those visited on the 29th of September on the Dungeagan-Coomanaspig turas or pilgrimage (KE097-029----).
See attached photograph of 'St. Finan's Well', taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F025.18.00270 accessible online at https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/16872.
See attached colour photographs of holy well courtesy of Amanda Clarke.
The above description is derived from A. O'Sullivan and J. Sheehan (compilers), 'The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry'. Cork University Press (1996), no. 1080. 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: 25 April 2022
References
Crawford, H. S. 1915 Miscellanea: Holy wells near Ballinskelligs, Co. Kerry. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, 45, 155.
O'Sullivan, A. and Sheehan, J. 1996 The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry. Cork University press.
Nearby in the register
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Hut siteunder 1 mi
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.