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Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland

Ritual site - holy well

Dromard, County Sligo, Ireland

Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915) covering the location of Ritual site - holy well, Dromard, County Sligo, with a pin at the register's coordinates
Ordnance Survey six-inch map, 2nd edition (1888–1915), covering this location. Courtesy of the National Library of Scotland. The pin is ours, placed from the register's coordinates.

The record

Townland
Dromard
County
Sligo
Country
Ireland
First-edition OS map
Indicated
Latest-edition OS map
Indicated
Coordinates
54.21004, -8.65812
SMR number
SL019-151002-

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

4 historical maps cover this location, the earliest the 1790 map "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).

Historical maps covering this location

  • 1790 · Composite: Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1869 · Ireland. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1891 · Ireland 16 (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
  • 1904 · Sheet 4. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)

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This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated within a hollow at the base of a steep N-facing ridge are two adjoining holy wells dedicated to St. Patrick and St. Brigid respectively, within a small, square walled enclosure (dim. 11m). Patterns are still held here annually on June 29th. The larger well is dedicated to St. Patrick (SL019-151001-). Appended to its W side is this well, which according to tradition is dedicated to 'St. Brigid's'. It comprises a small subrectangular pool (dims. 0.8m x 0.6m) defined on S side by a semicircular stone wall and roofed by a massive slab (dims. 1.9m x 1.4m) known as 'St. Brigid's Flag' which bears numerous crudely inscribed crosses (SL019-151003-). A series of stone steps on the N side leads down to the water level. Built into the enclosure wall, a short distance SW of the wells, is a crucifixion plaque (SL019-151004-). Also within the enclosure is a plain rectangular stone altar (SL019-151005-). A third well, which was used by penitents for washing their feet before and after undertaking the patterns, is located 1.7m N of the enclosure.

Attached image (SL019-151002-_01) shows semicircular well, roofed with cross-inscribed stone (SL019-151003-), viewed from W

Compiled by: Patrick F. O'Donovan

Date of upload: 19 January 2011

Nearby in the register

Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.

Sites and Monuments Record data: National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Record text is reproduced unchanged. National Monuments Service, Government of Ireland · CC BY 4.0
All Ritual site - holy well in Sligo All County Sligo records All Ireland Heritage registers Historical markers (US)National Register of Historic Places (US)
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