Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Marked only on the 1924 ed. of the OS 6-inch map where it is described as St. Mochain’s Well. St Mochonóg is an early saint of Saxon and British parentage (Ó Riain 2011, 464), who is thought to have founded a monastery at Kilmuckrige (Ranson 1945, 53-4) and also at Galen, Co. Offaly (OF014-029----). The well is situated in mixed woodland in the valley of a small NW-SE stream on the NE bank and c. 30m from the stream. It is approached from the SE by a grass-covered concrete path. This is a natural spring within a square concrete-covered and white-washed enclosure (ext. dims. 1.25m N-S; 1.27m E-W; H 0.92m) with a pyramid canopy topped with a concrete cross and base. There is an arched opening (Wth 0.47m; H 0.41m) through the wall (T 0.5m) on its W side. The well is still venerated, but St. Mochonóg has no recorded feast-day. According to a marble plaque set over the opening the well was restored and probably brought into its present form in 1921, but patterns had been held at the well around the 27th September until c. 1900 (IFC Schools’ Collection, vol. 0887, 63-8). Killincooly church site (WX028-003001-) is c. 130m to the SE.

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 31 July, 2012
Amended: 5 February 2020

References

IFC Schools' MSS: Irish Folklore Commission Schools' Manuscripts. Department of Folklore. University College, Dublin.

Ranson, Rev. J. 1945 Some unrecorded Wexford antiquities. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, vol. 75, 53-5.

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