Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

On a S-facing slope in undulating terrain, surrounded by pasture. Tullaroan church (KK018-032001-) is located c. 120m to the S. According to the OS Letters (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 1, 213-14) of 1839, at this well, known as Lady’s Well, ‘a Patron was held on the 15th of August till within a few years. This (a) patron was previously held at the old cross a little to the north still. This old cross remains, but broken in two parts’. These two fragments (KK018-008001-; KK018-008002-) have been moved c. 420m to the NW where they on display in a little green at Tullaroan crossroads. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 495), ‘A small stone house, with the words “Ave Maria” carved over the entrance door, now protects the well, having been erected over it not many years ago’. This inscription is no longer visible. A circular stone structure (int. H 1.58m; ext. H 2.2m; ext. dims. 1.7m N-S; 1.85m E-W; int. diam. 0.9m; wall T 0.53m) built into the slope of the hill. The opening (H 1.46m; external Wth 1.15m; splaying to interior Wth 0.58m) faces S. Built of rough stone, roughly coursed, cement mortar. A limestone fragment, part of a 19th-century grave monument, has been fixed onto the concrete roof of the well. There is no water in the well.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 20 February 2017

References

Carrigan, Rev. W. 1905 (Reprint 1981) The history and antiquities of the diocese of Ossory, 4 vols. Kilkenny. Roberts Books and Wellbrook Press.

O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1930 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Kilkenny collected during the progress of the Ordnance Survey in 1839. Bray.