Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Situated on a steep, rocky hillside, in scrub, on the W facing slope of Knockastia. Chapel (WM031-014001-) annotated ‘Ancient Chapel (in Ruins)’ lies c. 45m to ENE. Depicted on the 1837 ed. OS 6-inch map as a small, circular-shaped well feature annotated ‘Toberavill’. Monument described in 1957 as a spring well enclosed by a drystone wall and with a very rough drystone roof. The water flows from the well into a second, uncovered round basin. The stone work is very rough and of indeterminate date. It is unclear if this was a holy well, but the fact that it is marked as an antiquity on OS maps and the presence of an iron gate designed to allow access for pedestrians from the road, suggests that it was used for some religious purposes. There are no offerings or other direct evidence of this, however this function may have gone out of use. There are quarries on both sides of the monument. Holy Well is obscured today by dense scrub on Digital Globe aerial photography and is located at the E edge of a quarry.

In the late 1930s the following folklore was recorded about Toberavill; 'There is a large tree growing beside this well and on this tree people used to hang objects after using the water of well for the cure of warts and sore eyes. The custom is still in vogue. "Rounds" used to be made some years ago on Good Friday at this well and some people used to come long distances to make them. There are fourteen large stones around the well and tree, to represent the Stations of the Cross. Warts and sore eyes have been cured at this well. The eyes or warts are bathed three times with the water and prayers said. If a cloth is used it is hung up on the tree afterwards. If the washing is done by the hand some of the trifle is left at or on the tree. There is a great variety of objects on the tree presently. It is also said that the water of this well cannot be boiled and that the wood of the three beside the well cannot be burned. Some people also say that there is supposed to be the ruins of an old church [WM031-014001-] behind this well. Portion of a wall is to be still seen at this place' (The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0733, Pages 177-9).

Compiled by Alison McQueen, Vera Rahilly and Caimin O’Brien.

Date of upload: 12 November 2019