Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Moor, County Roscommon, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Moor
- County
- Roscommon
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Tober Caelainn
- Latest-edition OS map
- Tober Caelainn
- Coordinates
- 53.78293, -8.47411
- SMR number
- RO020-042----
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
Traditionally, when St Caolin plucked out her eyes to dissuade a suitor a well appeared at that location. A subsequent outrage caused the well to move c. 20m to its present location but to remain dry (O'Flanagan 1931, vol. 1, 80; Lupeta 1912). The saint is Caolainn of Termon More (RO026-034----) c. 1.4km to the SSE, who was descended from the Ciarraighe. This tribe gave their name to the county of Kerry, but a branch migrated to this territory in Connaught and the saint’s church is recorded in these stories. Traditionally, her feast was celebrated on 3 February (Ó Riain 2011, 151-2). Situated towards the bottom of a gentle S-facing slope. This is a circular drystone-built well (diam. c. 0.4m; D 0.5m) which is dry, with an oak tree holding offerings 1m to the SE. The site of Termonkeelin church (RO020-043001-) is c. 450m to the E.
Compiled by: Michael Moore
Date of revised upload: 2 July 2015
References
Lupeta 1912 Saint Brigid's travelling companion. The Catholic Bulletin 2, 207-10.
O'Flanagan, Rev. M. (Compiler) 1931 Letters containing information relative to the antiquities of the county of Roscommon collected during the progress of the
Ordnance Survey in 1837. Bray.
Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.
Nearby in the register
- Religious house - Augustinian, of Arrouaise nunsunder 1 mi
- Children's burial groundunder 1 mi
- Ringfort - rathunder 1 mi
- Standing stoneunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.