Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

On a low-lying landscape, in a field on the E side of a NNW-SSE road. Traditionally this well appeared when a notorious landlord, George Ormsby, attempted to cure an injured dog at Tobernagreghta well (RO040-016----) c. 65m to the W, from whence it moved in disgust to this location (O'Flanagan 1931, vol. 1, 53). Described as a well, also known as Tober Nual, with a rag tree of ash where a pattern has held on 15th Aug. (IFC Schools' MSS. vol. 260, 1,2; vol. 1506, 166). The well is a rectangular concrete structure (dims 0.8m x 0.8m) and there is now no evidence of a rag tree or of veneration (Ryan 1997, 222). Archaeological monitoring (03E1576) in the vicinity failed to produce any related material (Morahan 2006b).

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 24 August 2010

References

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.

Morahan, L. 2006b Cloonmurly: no archaeological significance. In I. Bennett (ed.), Excavations 2003: summary accounts of archaeological excavations in Ireland, 421, No. 1567. Bray. Wordwell.

Ryan, H. A. 1997 Aspects of Kilteevan history. In H. A. Ryan (ed.) Kilteevan: A look at a school and its parish. 220-34, Kilteevan. Kilteevan School Board of Management

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