Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Inis Gluaire, County Mayo, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Inis Gluaire
- County
- Mayo
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Brendans Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Brendans Well
- Coordinates
- 54.20819, -10.11966
- SMR number
- MA016-003010-
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
Located at the SE end of Inisglora, within the confines of a monastic settlement (MA016-003008-). This holy well is named ‘St. Brendan’s Well’ on the 1838 and 1021 OS 6-inch maps. A pool of water (D c. 0.5m) is contained at the base of a penannular drystone-lined shaft (diam. 1.2m; D 2m), open on the S side where it is accessed from surface ground level by a series of eight stone steps (Wth 0.6m) flanked by walling, giving the structure as a whole a roughly key-hole shape. At ground surface, the surround wall of the well consists of a low, roughly built, and partly tumbled, drystone wall (Wth 0.7-0.8m; H 0.45m).
According to tradition, if a woman draws water from the well, the water will instantly turn to red worms (OS Letters 1838, vol. 1, 107).
Compiled by: Jane O’Shaughnessy
Date of upload: 13 June 2017
Nearby in the register
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Cross-slabunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Middenunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.