Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

A monastery was founded at Durrow reputedly by Colum Cille [of the church] who died in 597 and whose feastday is celebrated on the 9th of June (Ó Riain 2011, 213-14). Colum Cille whose original name may have been Criomthann was descended from a branch of the Ceinéal Conaill of Donegal (ibid., 211). He established a monastery at Iona in Scotland and is the earliest known founder of a church outside of Ireland (ibid., 212). Over sixty churches claim to have been founded by Colum Cille many of which have no historical documentation to support their claims (ibid., 213). On the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map the holy well depicted as 'St. Columbkille's Well' is shown located in a field c. 85m to the SW of 'St. Columbkille's Island'. On the revised 1908 ed. OS 25-inch map the well is shown at a different location. On this map the holy well is depicted in the centre of 'St. Columbkille's Island'. A small grove of trees are shown standing in the area where the holy well is depicted on the 1838 ed. OS 6-inch map. It is possible that between 1838 and 1908 the original holy well was abandoned and a new pattern was later established at a spring well located in 'St. Columbkille's Island' and this well then became known as 'St. Columbkille's Well'.
Holy well dedicated to St Colum Cille of Iona, Scotland. The well is located on flat poorly drained area enclosed by a semicircular water-filled trench depicted as St. Columbkille's Island on all editions of the OS 6-inch maps. Site of early Christian monastic enclosure (OF009-005001-), church (OF009-005013-), graveyard (OF009-005009-) and high cross (OF009-005010-) to S. The present well is enclosed by a late 19th or early 20th century stone built hut constructed with small boulders of granite and limestone with four steps leading down to the well. The water varies in depth from 0.2m to 0.75m deep. Just above the entrance to the well there is a slab with an inscription of recent origin with iron cross and votive offerings embedded into the top of the roof. In 1942 (ITA Survey) it was recorded that a local pattern was held at this well every year on the 9th of June the feastday of St Colum Cille. The pattern to the holy well is still being carried out here every year.

The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Offaly' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 22 April 2014

References

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

Irish Tourist Association. Surveys undertaken in the 1940s for the Irish Tourist Association (now Fáilte Ireland) relating to ‘Natural features, antiquities, historic associations etc.' Extracts from these surveys were copied into the Topographical files of the Office of Public Works and these have been incorporated into the Sites and Monuments Record files (National Monuments Service).