Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated at the bottom of an E-facing slope with a NW-SE road just to the NE. The well is only depicted on the 1912 edition of the OS 6-inch map where it is described in italic script as ‘St. Nicholas’ Well’. Cogan (1867, 2, 351) regarded it as a holy well ‘eight feet six inches in diameter (c. 2.5m)’, and it was then accessed by a stile from the road which was decorated with a cross and the name ‘St. Nicholas’s Well’. In the 1930s (IFC Schools Collection, vol. 689, 121) it was described as having flagstones around it inside a picket fence, and while there was no pattern it had a cure for headaches. Today there is a hollow (diam. of top 4m; diam. of base 2.5m; max. D 0.8m) occupied by a pump-house accessed directly from the road. (French 2012, 72-3)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 26 August 2019

References

French, N. 2012 Meath Holy Wells. Meath Heritage Centre

IFC Schools' MSS: Irish Folklore Commission Schools' Manuscripts. Department of Folklore. University College, Dublin.

Cogan, Rev. A. 1862-70 Ecclesiastical history of the diocese of Meath: ancient and modern. (3 vols) Dublin: John Fowler, Joseph Dollard