Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Town Parks (kells Upper By.), County Meath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Town Parks (kells Upper By.)
- County
- Meath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- St. Columbs Well
- Latest-edition OS map
- St. Columbs Well
- Coordinates
- 53.72641, -6.88779
- SMR number
- ME017-045----
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 1636 "Vltoniae Orientalis Pars" (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated at the NW edge of a low-lying basin in a small D-shaped enclosure (dims c. 8m NE-SW; c. 5.75m NW-SE) defined by an earthen bank and hedge, c. 500m WSW of the site of the early church (ME017-044012-). It is accessed by a sign-posted path from the Lough Crew road (R 163). The well is one source of a stream that curves around the hill on which Kells is located, running under the streets in places. It curves to the E and N of the town, joining the NW-SE River Balckwater close to the mound (ME017-007----). The well is oval (int. dims 1.2m NW-SE; 0.8m NE-SW) with a masonry canopy that is open (Wth 0.55m; H 1.05m) to the SW. There is no evidence of veneration, but a pattern is held on June 9th since the well was conserved by a local group in 2009. (French 2012, 21-2)
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of upload: 30 March, 2016
References
French, N. 2012 Meath Holy Wells. Meath Heritage Centre
Nearby in the register
- Religious house - Augustinian canonsunder 1 mi
- Burialunder 1 mi
- Town defencesunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.