The holy well at Loughkeeraun

The holy well at Loughkeeraun (pictured above) looks neglected, and is quite inconspicuous to the modern passer-by, but its history makes a most intriguing story. The well, said to be Christian in origin, is reputed to have been founded by St. Ciaran of Clonmacnoise in the 6^h century, Legend has it that St. Ciaran, who was in the area, was moved to compassion when he met a little girl crying beside a sick cow, the sole surviving cow, belonging to her widowed mother. He bent down and pulled some rushes and using water from the roots, he blessed the animal which then recovered. It seems that the water continued to flow and a well formed and overflowed on the spot where the miraculous cure had occurred. It disappeared again some centuries later when, it is said, a woman defiled the holy place by washing dirty linen there. The well re-emerged the next morning in a neighbouring townland and continued to be venerated until the 1930’s when the crowds attending the patron had dwindled.

Pilgrimage had flourished at the well even in the darkest days of the repressive Penal Laws, but changing times and changing attitudes have brought about the decline of many of these lovely old customs. ‘Patrons’ or ‘patterns’, as they were called, were held there three times yearly, on Garland Sunday (the last Sunday in July), Lady Day (15^th Aug.),and the feast day of St. Ciaran (Sept. 9^th).

During penal times, visitation to holy wells was prohibited by the authorities and a fine of ten shillings (a sizeable sum of money at the time) was imposed on anyone in breach of the law. Failure to pay the fine resulted in a public whipping for the defendant. In later times, the clergy, Catholic and Protestant alike, all called for an end to ‘patterns’ because of the faction-fights, heavy drinking and the ‘superstitious practices’ at these gatherings.

Archbishop John McHale, was responsible for the cutting down of a ‘Bilé ,’ or ‘holy tree’ which grew near the well, because pilgrims had a custom of hanging the spancels or halters of the animals that were cured on the branches as a gesture of thanksgiving to St. Ciaran. The archbishop considered this practice to be pagan. Other bizarre customs at Loughkeeran included throwing small rolls of butter into the well, and to swim horses in the water. O’Donovan’s Ordnance Survey Letters for County Mayo (1837-38) had this to say about the customs, ‘The people, it is said swim their horses in the lake on that day to defend them against incidental evils during the year, and throw spancels and halters into it, which they leave there on the occasion. They are also accustomed to throw butter into it with the intention that their cows may be sufficiently productive of milk and butter during the year. The Clad Ime, lump of butter, thrown in at a time does not be more than a quarter of a pound weight. After the crowds have gone away the poor, who have not the necessaries of life otherwise than by obtaining them by alms from liberal or charitable persons, assemble and carry off as much butter as they can gather out of the lake‘.

It is interesting to note that cows figured largely in stories of miracles connected with St. Ciaran, and that cows were most important to the economy of the Irish people in early times.

An article in the ‘Connaught Telegraph’ dated 29^th, June, 1983, had the following headline “Sacred well has them baffled”. The story, by reporter Tom Kelly, went on to tell of the sudden re-appearance of the well at Loughkeeraun (its original site) and of the vain efforts to fill it in. According to the article, an estimated 500,000 tons of topsoil from the Knockatemple road scheme had been dumped into the well only to disappear without trace. Mrs. Mary O’Brien, a local historian, had this to say “ There may be a logical explanation for the strange occurrence, but there are times when logic does not apply and this may be one of them”. A ‘dozer driver was quoted as saying “It’s crazy and difficult to understand. I certainly never came across anything like it before and must admit to finding it a little eerie.” Here is a case where truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

I dedicate this piece to the memory of Mary O’Brien, of Knockatemple, a fine local historian, and storyteller. She was the author of a local history ‘Keelogues - A Parish Story’ and several historical articles. Sadly, Mary passed away recently. May she rest in peace.