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Ritual site - holy well

Toberarraght

Holy well in Lurga Lower, County Mayo, Ireland.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentNot recorded
  • 1767In the record
  • Folklore2 quotes
  • PhotoWanted
Lurga Lower, Co. Mayo53.93593, -8.78920
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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 mentioned1767

What to look for

  • Offerings left
  • Cross or cross-slab
  • 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

In level pasture, c. 50m W of the Mullaghaghanoe River.

Full archaeological record 236 words

In level pasture, c. 50m W of the Mullaghaghanoe River.

Spring well, named ‘Toberarraght’ on the 1838 and 1920 OS 6-inch maps, enclosed within a concrete surround, with a small hole in the concrete giving access to the water. Four concrete pillars support a flat stone slab which provides a cover for the well hole. According to local information, the well was originally enclosed by a stone wall, which was replaced by the current concrete fixtures in 1954 for the Marion Year.

The well is dedicated to St. Attracta, and the traditional pattern day is on 11th August (OS Letters 1838, 375 (154)). Adjacent to the well there is a concrete-built shrine enclosing a modern statue of St. Attracta. According to local information, water from the well was reputed to cure eye complaints. The well was dry at time of visit.

A small cross-inscribed stone slab (Wth 0.24m; H 0.3m) is cemented into the concrete shrine. Engraved on the slab are a simple cross rising from a triangular base, and the date 1767. According to local information, the cross-engraved slab was originally located on top of a pillar-like dry-stone structure (MA063-043001-) which once stood immediately to S of the well.

There is a rough heap of stones a few meters to NW of the well. A plain, flat thin slab (L 1.25,; Wth 0.61m; T 5cm) lies on the ground adjacent to the heap of stones.

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Jane O’Shaughnessy · Updated 2 October 2020. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

Folklore and traditions

The well is dedicated to St. Attracta, and the traditional pattern day is on 11th August (OS Letters 1838, 375 (154)).
As recorded by the Archaeological Survey · a tradition, not a fact
According to local information, water from the well was reputed to cure eye complaints.
As recorded by the Archaeological Survey · a tradition, not a fact

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      Around Toberarraght

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