Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

In rough pasture, located at the base of a small knoll/rise, on the S edge of an expanse of wet ground, which is bordered to NW by a SW-flowing stream. The surrounding terrain is sharply undulating and dotted with small, low drumlin-like rises or hillocks.
A spring well (1.6m E–W; 1.1m N–S; D 0.7m), which rises at the base of the W slope of the small, low roughly circular knoll (diam. c. 10m; H c. 1.5m), in a lowlying basin of rush-grown damp ground. The sub-rectangular well cavity (1.6m E−W; 1m N−S; D 0.7m) is faced with drystone walling, rising to a height of 1-1.2m on the E side where it is built up against the slope of the hillock. Here the top of the wall merges with a possible penitential station (MA031-043001-), consisting of a concentration of loose stones (c. 2m N-S; c. 3m E–W), which crowns the top of the hillock. A flat slab paves the floor of the well on its E side. The well holds a shallow pool of water. A stone-lined channel, roofed with small, stone slabs extends for 3m to the W, carrying the outflow from the well. The narrow exterior opening (Wth c. 0.1m) of the channel directs the water into a field drain, which extends to NW to join a stream on the N boundary of the field.
The well structure, the overflow channel and the penitential cairn are largely sod-covered, and hawthorn scrub and brambles grow on top of the knoll.
The well is traditionally associated with St. Feichin. According to local information, the practice of holding stations at the well, and attaching rags to bushes there, continued up to the 1950’s.

Compiled by: Jane O’ Shaughnessy

Date of upload: 8 February 2016