066-915 0530 || 
Tá mórán toibreacha beannaithe i gCorca Dhuibhne, cuid acu ar láithreacha eaglasta agus a thuilleadh leo féin. Gabhann crosleac le cuid mhaith díobh. Tá creideamh láidir traidisiúnta i gcumhacht leigheasta an uisce insna toibreacha seo. Luaitear naomh áitiúil le cuid mhaith desna toibreacha agus is minic turas ar an dtobar nó Lá an Phátrúin a bheith luaite le toibreacha áirithe. Deintear turas Tobar Ghobnait i nDún Chaoin, mar shampla, ar Lá Fhéile Ghobnait ar an 11ú Feabhra agus deintear turas Thobar Eoin Baiste i gCill Mhuire (Minn Aird), ar an 29ú Lúnasa. Is dócha go dtéann adhradh ag toibreacha beannaithe na hÉireann, mar nós, níos sia siar ná an Chríostaíocht.
The availability of clean, pure, potable water has always been and will always be essential for all of us. Clean wells, therefore, have inevitably had an important part to play in where people settled, and some of these wells, over time, and for whatever reasons, have been attributed other benefits. With the arrival of Christianity, many of these ‘special’ wells made the transition into ‘holy’ wells, and some of these are still venerated today. There are also other ‘named’ wells, but these are not necessarily considered to be ‘holy’, as in that they are associated with a saint, or a religious site.
So, how do we define a ‘holy’ well, what makes it different from all the other wells in an area? There are several reasons why a well would be considered ‘holy’ today. These include tradition, where the well has always been referred to, as long as people can remember (and going back through older written accounts), as having special powers, generally due to an association with a holy person or saint. Some wells are called after particular saints, indicating their special importance. Others may be associated with monastic or other religious sites. Some may have a cross-inscribed stone marking their location. Some have particular rituals associated with them, or ‘magical’ properties, and they may be traditionally visited on a particular holy day (the feast day of a saint, or a special day in the Christian calendar, such as Easter Sunday, for example). Some may be the focal point of a pilgrimage, or pattern. Some wells have bushes or trees nearby, on which rags or offerings are tied, indicating cures that have perhaps been obtained – or in the hope that a cure might take place!
Although there are about 60 holy wells known about today in Corca Dhuibhne, not so many were still being venerated at the time that the Archaeological Survey was carried out in the early 1980s, and some, by that stage, had dried up for a variety of reasons. It is interesting to note that there has been a growth of interest in the holy wells of the area since that time, which is lovely to see, as such interest helps protect these ancient sites, and ensure that their traditions survive.
Some of the better-know examples on the peninsula include Tobar Manacháin at An Baile Riabhach, where the turas takes place at dawn on Easter Sunday; Tobar Míchíl, at An Baile Móir Thiar, where mass is celebrated on Michaelmas day; Tobar Ghobnait, in Ceathrú an Fheirtéaraigh in Dún Chaoin, where rounds are paid on Lá le Gobnait, 11 February, along with other practices, social and religious! Tobar Eoin Baiste, Cill Mhuire (Kilmurry), Minn Aird, and three wells in Cinn Aird (Tobar Fíonáin, Muire and Míchíl) are also still venerated. There are also two holy wells, one of which is dedicated to Naomh Bhréanainn, at Cill Maoilchéadair. You can probably think of more!
To find out more, visit Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, Baile an Fheirtéaraigh, www.westkerrymuseum.com. We are open from 10.00 am – 5.00 pm, 7 days a week. Tel: 066-9156333 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. There is also a café with fresh baking daily and a bookshop, and free Wi-Fi for customers!
