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Ritual site - holy well

Saint Dallan's Well

Tobar San Dalláin

Lost holy well in Burnchurch, Co. Kilkenny.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentNot recorded
  • 19th centuryIn the record
  • Folklore1 quote
  • PhotoWanted
Burnchurch, Co. Kilkenny52.58400, -7.29310
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Unofficial guide. Not the National Monuments Service, the OPW, Fáilte Ireland or the landowner. Disclaimer

At a glance

  • TypeRitual site - holy well
  • Date or period mentioned19th century
  • Condition (as surveyed)Gone: no visible trace

What to look for

  • Pattern day

Picked out from the Archaeological Survey description below.

Can you visit?

  • No source says it is open to the public.Most monuments in Ireland stand on private farmland.
  • Ask the landowner before crossing fields, close gates, leave the stones as you find them.Visiting responsibly
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History and description

Indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as 'St. Dallan's Well', this is the original location of the holy well which was subsequently moved c. 40m to the N (see KK023-054----). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 376), 'the well was removed to its present position by the Flood family.

Full archaeological record 170 words

Indicated on the 1st (1839) ed. OS 6-inch map as 'St. Dallan's Well', this is the original location of the holy well which was subsequently moved c. 40m to the N (see KK023-054----). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 3, 376), 'the well was removed to its present position by the Flood family. The old basin, however, remains uninjured, about 40 yds. to the north [actually to the S], beside the fosse of a small square rath [KK023-100----]. A drain conveys the water, underground, from the old well to the new one. A pattern was held at the well on the first Sunday of August, till the early part of the 19th century, but tradition says that the people attended it were divided as to whether the real pattern day, that is, the feast day of the saint, was the first day of August or the third'. Satellite imagery (Google Earth, imagery date 25 April 2021) shows that the area of scrub where this well was formerly located has been reclaimed.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Jean Farrelly · Updated 17 August 2021. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

Folklore and traditions

A pattern was held at the well on the first Sunday of August, till the early part of the 19th century, but tradition says that the people attended it were divided as to whether the real pattern day, that is, the feast day of the saint, was the first day of August or the third'.
As recorded by the Archaeological Survey · a tradition, not a fact

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      Around Saint Dallan's Well

      Other heritage nearby

      Recorded within 5 km

      Walks and trails

      • South Kilkenny Cycle LoopRoad Cycling Trail · 43.2 km · nearest point 2.8 km
      • Coille an Fhaltaigh Millennium Park - Red TrailWalking Trail · 3.3 km · nearest point 4.2 km
      • Coille an Fhaltaigh Millennium Park - Green TrailWalking Trail · 2.5 km · nearest point 4.5 km

      Outdoors, towns and places to stay

      • Coill an FhaltaighForests · 4.7 km
      • Ballykeefe Nature ReserveNature reserves · 7.4 km
      • Kyleadohir Nature ReserveNature reserves · 12 km
      • CallanWalled towns · 8.0 km
      • KilkennyWalled towns · 8.1 km
      • Clomanatagh CastleHistoric stays · 20 km

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