St. Catherine's Well
Photo: A.-K. D. · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ritual site - holy well

St. Catherine's Well

Former holy well in Rathbeagh, Co. Kilkenny.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentNot recorded
  • MedievalIn the record
  • FolkloreNone recorded
  • PhotoWikimedia Commons
Rathbeagh, Co. Kilkenny52.75371, -7.34551
Directions Map

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 mentionedmedieval

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

In wet marshy terrain, at the base of a steep slope (H c.2m) on the W bank of a stream which runs into the River Nore c. 130m to the SSE. According to local information there are a number of springs along the base of this slope.

Full archaeological record 160 words

In wet marshy terrain, at the base of a steep slope (H c.2m) on the W bank of a stream which runs into the River Nore c. 130m to the SSE. According to local information there are a number of springs along the base of this slope. The medieval church (KK009-048001-) and graveyard (KK009-048003-) of Rathbeagh are located c. 140m to the NW. The OS Letters (1839) describe this as, 'a well between this Church [KK009-048001-] and the Nore called St. Catherine's well, at which a Patron was held till within the last ten years on the 2th day of June, and the 6th of December was kept a holy day in the Parish in honour of St. Catherine' (O'Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 1, 88 (29-30)). While the area is very overgrown and generally marshy, the ground is particularly wet in the vicinity of where the well is indicated on the 1st and revised ed. of the OS 6-inch map.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Jean Farrelly · Updated 9 May 2018. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

Folklore and traditions

More holy wells nearby

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      Around St. Catherine's Well

      Other heritage nearby

      Recorded within 5 km

      Walks and trails

      • Jenkinstown Wood - Jenkinstown Wood LoopWalking Trail · 3.4 km · nearest point 3.9 km
      • Jenkinstown Wood - Walled Garden LoopWalking Trail · 2.0 km · nearest point 4.0 km
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      • JenkinstownForests · 4.5 km
      • CapponellanForests · 11 km
      • Ballykeefe Nature ReserveNature reserves · 16 km
      • Coolacurragh Wood Nature ReserveNature reserves · 16 km
      • KilkennyWalled towns · 13 km
      • Clomanatagh CastleHistoric stays · 9.9 km

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