Ritual site - holy well

The National Monuments Service's description

Located on a gentle N-facing slope and on the E side of a SW-NE street in the village of Tomhaggard. According to John O’Donovan writing c. 1840 the pattern on the 25th of July had been discontinued since c. 1820 (O’Flanagan 1933, vol. 2, 200), but the well is still maintained. The well is a circular feature (diam. c. 0.6m) covered with a lintel that has an opening (Wth 0.55m; H 0./4m) at SE that leads to a stone-lined channel (Wth 0.5m; L 31m) before the stream runs underground to re-emerge into a pond in the valley bottom c. 20m to the E. From there it joins the stream from St. Anne’s Well (WX047-051----) that is c. 50m E of St. James’s Well. St. James’ well is covered by a D-shaped masonry cairn (dims c. 1.2m x c. 0.8m; H 0.55-0.9m) surmounted by a cross and there is a niche for a statue over the opening to the well.

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 ofupload: 21 Octiber, 2013

References

Butler, R. (ed.) 1845 The Register of All Hallows, near Dublin. Dublin.