Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

On a natural rise on a gentle SE-facing slope with a narrow, stone-lined channel (L 18m x W 1m) leading down to the river, which runs 30m to the SE, in woodland. Circular well (D 1.35m) with dry-stone walling (W 1.7m; T 0.6m). There is no water in the well. A roughly dressed stone cross, cut out of a single stone, surrounts the wall in the NW. There is a small drain at the base of the wall in the SE quadrant to allow water to drain out. A lintel, supported on two stones, crosses the channel. A crudely built stone altar lies 7.2m SE of the holy well, with circular arrangment of stones at its base (diam. 1.9m). Another circle of stones lies 2m to the E (diam. 1.9m) and 1m to the W (diam. 1.3m). These appear to be recently constructed, small loose stones laid in a cirle. The altar, consisting of a loose stone cairn, is surmounted by a very eroded vice-grips (?), broken statue of Our Lady, St. Christopher carrying baby Jesus, a broken porcelain figure of two angels at the foot of a missing cross with a skull depicted at the base of the cross, very eroded unidentifiable chalk statue, a possible candle holder and an empty glass jar. The tree, against which the altar rests, has suspended from a branch a plaque with two depictions, the apparition at Knock and Padre Pio with 'Bless Our Home' written on a wooden background. There is also a picture hook on the tree and an oval horeshoe. The name 'Tobermullacash' or Tobar Mullaigh Cearta means 'Well of the Mount of Suffering (Calvary)'. It is also known as 'Easter Well' (Power 1908, 61-2) and according to a local woman the well is still visited on Easter Sunday by some of the old women in the locality.

Compiled by: Jean Farrelly

Date of upload: 20 November 2013

References

Power, P. 1908 Placenames of the Decies. Journal of the Waterford and Southeast of Ireland Archaeological Society 11, 1-34, 45-78, 135-43 and 179-210.