Lady's Well

First of all thank you for the good wishes re my lurgy - I am feeling much better today, just a little wafty - some might say what's new!

Grey and wet and windy though the sun has just popped out. I left Himself to the rugby and went off in search of a holy well - mindful that I have been a bit lax at visiting any new ones this month - still working on the last six from North Cork! I went to my favourite well - just a few miles away from me - a Lady's Well, and yes, you've seen it before. It has all the right ingredients - a very picturesque little well, full of fresh water and should you be very fortunate, you might spot the eel that's said to live within - I haven't seen it yet. The well is made up of pebbles and I suspect the pebbles were the ones the pilgrims originally used when they were doing the rounds - a set path around the well. Nine rounds were required here and each time you did a round, you left a pebble so you knew how many you had completed. The BVM herself is said to have appeared here for behind the well is a Mass Rock, used when Catholicism was outlawed and worshipers had to find open air secret places. A priest was holding an illegal Mass, so the story goes, when the (unfortunately) English soldiers heard about it and came to arrest him - just in time the BVM appeared and enfolded the priest and the congregation within her cloak so the soldiers were disorientated and the worshippers escaped. In the extra pic you can see the Mass Rock, still much decorated with offerings of all sorts - the other pic shows you a few examples. And Mass is still said here every year on August 15th, Feast Day of the Assumption of Mary. Whatever your thoughts, it's a remarkable and ancient place. Just a few more days for the official International Holy Well Month, but we can happily tag after February too should you venture out to a well.