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

St. Monchin’s Well

Holy well in Coolcashin, Co. Kilkenny.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentNot recorded
  • MedievalIn the record
  • FolkloreNone recorded
  • PhotoWikimedia Commons
Coolcashin, Co. Kilkenny52.77128, -7.46613
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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 mentionedmedieval
  • Recorded size 0.86m NE-SW; 1.14m NW-SE; H 0.92m

What to look for

  • Steps down

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

Built into a S-facing slope, just below the crest of a hill, in rolling grassland, c. 50m NE of a stream which flows into a river c. 400m to the E. It is located 18m W of the NW angle of graveyard (KK009-019002-) wall which encloses a medieval church (KK009-019001-).

Full archaeological record 144 words

Built into a S-facing slope, just below the crest of a hill, in rolling grassland, c. 50m NE of a stream which flows into a river c. 400m to the E. It is located 18m W of the NW angle of graveyard (KK009-019002-) wall which encloses a medieval church (KK009-019001-). A now dry, roughly oval stone-lined well (dims. 0.86m NE-SW; 1.14m NW-SE; H 0.92m) with a stone-lined access passage (L c. 1m; H 0.33m) to the SE with steps down to the well. The access is now largely covered by a large flat lintel (dims. 1.2m x 0.57m; T 0.1m). It is mentioned in the OS Letters (1839) as the 'well belonging to this Church lay twenty yards to the west of it, but it is now closed up' (O'Flanagan ed. 1930, vol. 1, 100-1 (34)). It is known locally as St. Munchin's well.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Jean Farrelly · Updated 23 May 2018. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

Folklore and traditions

More holy wells nearby

Also recorded nearby

Named sites within 5 km with only a short entry in the Archaeological Survey.

  • Coolcashin CastleCastle - unclassified · Coolcashin · 0.1 km · official record
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      Around St. Monchin’s Well

      Other heritage nearby

      Recorded within 5 km

      Walks and trails

      • Gathabawn LoopWalking Trail · 11.3 km · nearest point 0.1 km
      • Gathabawn Short LoopWalking Trail · 4.1 km · nearest point 0.1 km
      • North Kilkenny Cycle RouteRoad Cycling Trail · 80.5 km · nearest point 1.8 km

      Outdoors, towns and places to stay

      • CapponellanForests · 7.9 km
      • Dunmore WoodForests · 11 km
      • Coolacurragh Wood Nature ReserveNature reserves · 11 km
      • Grantstown Wood and Grantstown Lough Nature ReserveNature reserves · 11 km
      • Clomanatagh CastleHistoric stays · 5.3 km

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