Tag Archives: Holy wells

A LABOUR of love has resulted in hundreds of Clare’s holy wells being documented and surveyed, with their details to be made available online.  The Clare Holy Wells Project, supported by Clare County Council and funded by The Heritage Council and Creative Ireland, will be formally launched via Zoom on St Brigid’s Day, Tuesday, February 1 at 7pm. The event will celebrate the efforts to survey and document 237 holy wells in Clare. In recent years, surveyors Michael Houlihan and Tony Kirby produced a fascinating survey of a part of local heritage that holds a special place in the hearts of many Clare people. For the first time, information on all of Clare’s known holy wells is gathered in one place. The webpage can be searched by region, as well as alphabetically. Maps, photographs and detailed information bring the stories of these wells alive. “Local knowledge was crucial during the survey and many people responded to requests for information,” said …

HOLY wells have long been a source of comfort in times of trouble, and in East Clare a monastic site, sacred to sixth century saint, has not only a well, but also a rare ‘plague stone,’ believed to cure disease. “Luchtigern, a sixth century local saint was said to be able to cure any type of pestilence,” explained Quin historian and writer, Michael Houlihan. “His church and holy well stand on the northern shore of Fenloe Lake, a few miles southeast of Quin village. Keeping in mind that vaccines did not become commonplace until the mid to late nineteenth century, any type of contagion or airborne sickness took a huge toll on the local population. People did what they could to seek some kind of intervention. Many reached out to the saint.” As a resident of the East Clare village, Michael has long been aware of the folklore of St Luchtigern. His current research on the holy wells of Clare …