School: Kiltiernan

On this page

1. Holy Wells

   

   Share Share Post

   Holy Wells

   There is only one holy well in this district. It is supposed to have been there since the time of St Patrick. It is a fairly small one. It has a small white statue of St Patrick in a hole in the wall around it. It is about two feet deep. There are two white-thorn bushes beside it. You would know by the stone wall that it is very old.
   It’s in the town-land of Jamestown, on the right hand side of the road between Stepaside and Kilternan. There is a big gate with St Patrick’s written on it, and an avenue leads up to well. Mr. Mc Cowan owns the field it is in. The water is not used. There is a little step leading down to it.
   About twenty years back the people used to visit it. Some of them used to go around it, and as they would go around, they would pray, when they would be leaving they would tie a rag on one of the bushes, or beads. If they thought that they would be cured by going to it, if they had bad eye sight they might leave their glasses, or something like that, or if they thought their sores would be made better, they would dip their hand into the well and pour water on the sore.
   There are no fish in this well. It has a lovely rockery around it now. Mr. Mc Cowan has made it nice with flowers around it. He is about thirty years there.
   I was only once at the well and that was not long ago. I thought it was very nice, as all the flowers were out in bloom. The people don’t believe in going and praying at it now. They don’t put rags or beads on the trees nowadays.

   

   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Topics

   1. events
      1. events (by time of year) (~11,476)

   Language

   English

   Collector

   Annie May Mc Millan

   Gender

   Female

   Address

   Kiltiernan, Co. Dublin

   Informant

   Mrs Harrison

   Gender

   Female

   Occupation

   Teacher