Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Ritual site - holy well
Killarecastle, County Westmeath, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Killarecastle
- County
- Westmeath
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Not indicated
- Coordinates
- 53.48485, -7.58131
- SMR number
- WM024-054004-
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
Spring well now contained within modern concrete pump house may mark the location of one of three holy wells recorded by Colgan in the 17th century. St. Brigid’s holy well (WM024-054002-), St. Brigid’s Church (WM024-054001-) and a building (WM024-054003-) which may have been known in the 17th century as the Court of St. Brigid are located 80m to W. A possible third holy well (WM024-054005-) lies in the field 78m to SSW. Mill pond belonging to nearby corn mill located in field immediately to N. Writing in the 17th century, Franciscan friar, John Colgan recorded that ‘there was also three fountains or wells, the water of which uniting miraculously together turned a neighbouring mill. One of the wells was dedicated to St. Aedh, the second to St. Brigid, and the third very probably to St. Conran [Cuman]’ (Woods 1907, 249). According to Colgan one of these wells was also called 'Tobur na b-fear' or the Men's Well' (Plummer 1910, xvii).
Compiled by: Caimin O’Brien
Date of upload: 28 July 2014
References
Plummer, C. 1910 Vitae Sanctorum Hiberniae. Oxford. Clarendon Press.
Woods, J. (ed.) 1907 Annals of Westmeath ancient and modern. Dublin. Sealy, Bryers & Walker.
Nearby in the register
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Ritual site - holy wellunder 1 mi
- Churchunder 1 mi
- Ecclesiastical enclosureunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.