Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

On the W bank of the River Nore which lies c. 90m to the E. St Fiachra's church (KK020-050001-) and graveyard (KK020-050002-) are located c. 60m to the NW. According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 221), this 'is a celebrated holy well. Public devotions were carried out here, on St. Fiachra's day (Aug. 30th), till a few years ago'. According to O'Kelly (1969, 183), at the well 'a Calvary was erected circa 40 years ago [c. 1930]'. It is enclosed by a stone wall and is covered, with a flat lintel over the entrance. An archaeological excavation was carried out in the immediate vicinity of the well in 1983, in advance of the laying of the Cork-Dublin gas pipeline (Cotter and Lehane 1987, 153-6). A number of cobbled surfaces and a trackway were uncovered which were designed to drain and make passable the area adjacent to the holy well (ibid. 156). These were found to date from the 18th and 19th century and were constructed to facilitate visitors to the holy well, probably particularly for the pattern (ibid.)

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 9 December 2020

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'Kelly, O. 1969 (Reissue 1985) The place-names of County Kilkenny. Kilkenny.

Cotter, C. and Lehane, D. 1987 St. Fiachra's Well, Co. Kilkenny. In Cleary, R.M., Hurley, M.F. and Twohig, E. A. (eds), Archaeological Excavations on the Cork-Dublin gas pipeline (1981-2). Cork Archaeological Studies, no.1, 153-6.