Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

In 1837 John O’Donovan wrote in the Ordnance Survey Letters that the parish of Dysart was named after St. Maol Tuile [Multilly] ‘whose memory was celebrated at his holy wells in the glebe about 30 years ago (c. 1807) on the 28th or 29th of May’ (OSL vol. 1, 152). The Martyrology of Donegal recorded the 29th of May as the feast day of Maoltuile whose ‘baculus [or pastoral staff] works miracles on perjurers before they go out of the church. His well, and his yellow bell and his baculus and his statue, are there still. This is the first Maoltuile’ (O’Donovan 1864, 445). The Martyrology of Donegal lists the 30th of July as the feast day of ‘Maoltuile, son of Nochar’ (ibid.). An early Christian monastery (WM012-110003-) or hermitage (dísirt) was founded here in the late 8th or early 9th century by Maol Tuile who died before the year 830. He was reputedly the son of Nóchaire of the Ceinéal Laoghaire of Meath (Ó Riain 2011, 447). Maol Tuile of Díseart (Dysart) was associated with Maol Ruain of Tallaght.
Dysart church and graveyard containing the base of a possible Early Christian high cross (WM025-110005-) were possibly built on the site of the monastery (WM025-110003-) the enclosing element of which lies 280m to NE of 'Multilly's Wells'. Visited by the ASI in 1981 and described as two conjoined stone lined wells underneath two large ash trees standing on low-lying poorly drained grassland standing immediately E of an old drain with small stream running from W-E 35m to S . The wells were both faced internally with several courses of masonry and were partially covered in scrub vegetation. The N well measured approx. 1m in diameter with the S well measuring 1.5m in diameter. An overflow or outlet channel was visible running out of S side of the S well. Access to the holy wells was from the E and approached from between the two ash trees.

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 6 November 2017

References

OSL - Ordnance Survey Letters. Letters written by members of the Ordnance Survey's 'Topographical Department' (T. O'Conor, A. O'Curry, E. Curry, J. O'Donovan and P. O'Keeffe) sent to headquarters from the field (1834-41). MSS in Royal Irish Academy.

Ó Riain, P. 2011 A dictionary of Irish Saints. Dublin. Four Courts Press.

O'Donovan, J. 1864 The martyrology of Donegal: a calendar of the saints of Ireland. Dublin. Alexander Thom.