Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a level landscape at the bottom of a SE-facing slope, and c. 10m S of the wall of Kerloge church (WX042-006001-). John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 says that a pattern was held at the well on St. James’ Day, July 25th, until c. 1820 (O’Flanagan 1933, vol. 1, 375). The well is a rectangular feature (dims c. 1m E-W; c. 0.6m N-S) with masonry walls that support a single lintel (dims 1.2m x c. 0.8m; T 0.12m). The well opening (H 0.8m) is approached by concrete steps from the S, but there is no evidence of veneration.
The dedication is to St. James of Compostela in NW Spain, where it is thought that the remains of St. James the Greater, one of the Apostles, were translated. St. James the apostle was close to Christ, and according to the Gospels witnessed many of His miracles, and was present at the Transfiguration, the Last Supper, and in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was martyred in Jerusalem in 43 AD. The belief that the remains of St. James were in Spain led to their discovery in the early 9th century when they were installed at Compostela in the NW corner of the country. This led to the development of a pilgrimage to his shrine that continues to this day. In Spanish it is called ‘Camino’, and was important politically in rallying support to the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain against the Muslim occupation of much of the Iberian Peninsula. (Butler (1883, 105)

Compiled by: Michael Moore

Date of upload: 27 May, 2013
Amended: 15 January, 2014

References

Butler, Rev. A. 1883 Lives of the Saints. J. S. Virtue London and Dublin, Reprint (1990) London. Studio Editions (Abridged)