Well Day Tullylease

I’m giving a talk next month in Limerick city and wanted to get a few more wells under my belt and decided to nip up on Sunday and return on Monday, the weather looking promising.On Saturday I got a message from Nicholas reminding me that it was St Berrihert’s feast day - yes he of the druid and shed incident (not real by the way, just a metaphor for the new religion taking over the old - I think!) - and would I like to pop over? It’s a good two hours drive but is actually on the Limerick border so we arranged to meet for the Well Day. What a welcome I was given -a delegation of five were waiting for me including Mike who was born and bred in Tullylease and knew everything there was to know about it. We were also joined by Ivan, originally from Mariupol but now two months into a new and very different life in North Cork.  Here they all are looking at the Hind Stone - a massive bullaun stone in the middle of a very muddy field - maybe something glacial? There is a story attached - when the workmen were building St Berrihert his abbey they would return every morning to find the stone contained milk which they much appreciated. However, being human, they wanted to know where it came from - a word of advice, never try to find out the origins of something miraculous, it always goes wrong. They lay in wait and were astonished to see a deer arrive and leave her milk (I don't know the correct verb) in the stone. However when she saw she was being watched she was furious and kicked out - her hoof leaving a hole in the stone which means it no longer collects liquid. It does have a cure though - for headaches and here is someone demonstrating the procedure- I forgot to ask his name but he was impressed with the gang of us doing the chat and joined in. Fair enough.  I was then invited to a full Sunday dinner but accepted a cuppa and a kitkat as I hadn't even got to Limerick yet and had at least five other wells on the list ! What a great encounter. This is what it’s all about.