Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Ballyanrahan East, County Limerick, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Ballyanrahan East
- County
- Limerick
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Patricks Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Patricks Well (covered) (1923)
- Coordinates
- 52.59771, -8.70842
- SMR number
- LI012-090----
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 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Ó Danachair (1955, 213) recorded the following details about this holy well; ‘St Patrick's Well on 1840 map. This is the well which gives its name to Patrickswell village. The well was open formerly, with a great elm tree standing beside it. Formerly much visited, especially on 17th March. The water cured sores, toothache and other pains, also cattle. It was sprinkled on crops and churns. Rags, medals and drinking cups hung on the tree. Devotions ceased about 1890. About this time a pump was erected over the well; this has now been removed. A slab in the wall beside the well has a rough figure of St Patrick and is inscribed "Erected by Thos McNamara and S Breay". It seems to date from about the beginning of the 19th century. Lewis, Topographical Dictionary, ii, 459 "says it has recently been placed" there'.
The following folklore was recorded from Lurga National School about Tobar Pádraig; 'Long ago in Patrickswell, there was a Blessed well, which St. Patrick was supposed to have blessed. It is now a pump' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0526, Page 165; accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922107/4852736/4949342).
See attached photo taken in 1954 by Caoimhín Ó Danachair, courtesy of and © National Folklore Collection, UCD. The Photographic Collection, F025.21.00295 accessible online at www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/17030.
Compiled and revised by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of revised upload: 1 October 2020
References
Ó Danachair, C. 1955 The Holy Wells of County Limerick Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 85, 193-217
Nearby in the register
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Enclosureunder 1 mi
- Fulacht fiaunder 1 mi
- Fulacht fiaunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.