Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Castletown (connello Upper By.), County Limerick, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Castletown (connello Upper By.)
- County
- Limerick
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Derivlas Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Deriolas Well (1923)
- Coordinates
- 52.40800, -8.79221
- SMR number
- LI046-009----
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
In level marshy terrain. Set into N face of field boundary, travelling on WNW-ESE axis, is circular spring (diam. c. 0.5m; D c. 0.6m); stone facing, of small roughly-cut flags, only evident at SSW side of spring. Ground immediately surrounding spring is waterlogged and heavily poached by cattle drinking from spring; a recently cut field drain runs c. 1m in front of spring on same axis as field boundary. No indication that well still used for religious purposes. According to Ó Danachair (1955, 205) rounds still mad here in mid-1950s and 'a pattern and fair was held on 11th February until about 1870'; he also notes legends that 'Saint Gobnait lived here', and that 'a white stag is sometimes seen at the well'.
Compiled by: Denis Power
Date of upload: 26 August 2011
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
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.