Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Holy well originally dedicated to St. Brigid but changed to St Matthew in the post 1700 period (Walsh 1957, 103). This holy well is depicted as 'Bridgets Well' on the 1654-59 Down Survey map of Kilmacnevan parish (NLI, MS 723-4). The terrier of this parish map recorded that there was 'a well in Belnacarroe Vulgarly called Holy Well or St. Bridgetts Well' (ibid.). The local folklore in the Schools' Collection (1937-1939) recorded that the 'local patron saint of this parish is Saint Mathew. In former years the patron saint was Saint Brigid and the time of the Normans they changed it to Saint Mathew. There is a well called after Saint Mathew and it is situated in Ballinacarrow and when the water is rubbed to the warts it is supposed to cure them. People also say prayers to Saint Mathew to get warts cured. The patron day is on the twenty first of September' (The Schools' Collection, Volume 0740, pages 043-044).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 8 June 2017

References

Walsh, P. 1957 The Placenames of Westmeath. Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies.

NLI, MS 723-4 - National Library of Ireland, The parish maps of the Down Survey for the County of Westmeath, attested by W. Petty, in 1659. Copied by Daniel O'Brien. A set of 67 maps with accompanying terriers in two volumes, 1786-7. Dublin.