Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Roddenagh, County Wicklow, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Roddenagh
- County
- Wicklow
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Heffernans Well, Old Thorn
- Latest-edition OS map
- Heffernans Well, Old Thorn
- Coordinates
- 52.85847, -6.36788
- SMR number
- WI034-035----
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
Holy well and thorn bush located in area of coniferous plantation. According to Lynch (1994, 639) there is a holy well known as ‘St Bride’s Well’ in the townland of Roddenagh that is mentioned in the 1930s Irish Folklore Commission, Schools Manuscript Collection (IFC S 1135: 96-7). The folklore manuscripts recorded the tradition that ‘Rounds were paid up to 50 years ago for cures, chiefly of toothache. Rags used to be tied to a sceach at the well…The place is now planted over by the Forestry Dept. and the existence of the well mostly forgotten’ (Lynch 1994, 639). This may be the same monument depicted on the 1838 edition of the OS six-inch map as ‘Heffernan’s Well’. An old thorn bush beside the well may be the ‘sceach’, mentioned above and could be the same bush that is marked as ‘Old Thorn’ beside ‘Heffernan’s Well’ on the six-inch OS map.
Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien
Date of upload: 22 January 2013
References
Lynch, G. 1994 The holy wells of county Wicklow: traditions and legends. In K. Hannigan and W. Nolan (eds), Wicklow history and society, 625-48. Dublin. Geography Publications.
Nearby in the register
- Souterrainunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Ecclesiastical enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.