Re: Tours of Ireland Jenny Fri Apr 9 16:57:04 1999 Hi Patricia,*p*If you can get your hands on a copy, Patrick Logan's _The Holy Wells of Ireland_ is a great book on the subject. The only draw back is, it doesn't have good maps on how to find these sites. Janet and Collin Bord's _Sacred Waters_ is also very good, though it focuses more on Britain, Scotland, and Wales. However it does have information on a handful of Irish wells.*p*The other general advice I'd offer is, go slow and keep your eyes open! Ireland is full of these little, teeny "finger signs": small green arrows pointing out towns and cultural sites. Holy wells frequently appear on these things -- that's how I found a number of different ones.*p*FYI, my map's a little out-dated, so some of the highway names may have changed.*p*: My ancestors cared over one in *br*: England, hense, my maiden name Olwell from Old Well near *br*: Cambridge....Grandfather's side of the family, of course. *br*: Grandmother from County Cork. :-)*p*Ah, then you will undoubtedly want to visit Doon Well (Kilmacreenan, Donegal -- off N56 about 6 miles north of Letterkenny). The well is still under the care of a family. The well is near the Rock of Doon, an old coronation site for one of the local noble families.*p*My all time favorite is St. Patrick's Well. I wish I could tell you which one! But unfortunately I can't find a reference to it, and I've almost forgotten where it was. I think it was off one of the major roads around Clonmel (either L23/R665, R671, or the big N24 route) and we spotted finger signs for it.*p*The site is splendid. You go down into a small valley where dozens and dozens of artesian springs bubble up into a small pond. They're so vigorous, the water appears to be boiling! In the center of this holy "well" is a rock, with an old Celtic cross atop it. The ruins of an ancient church lie nearby.*p*Another beautiful site is Tobar an Ailt (the Well of the High Place) near Sligo. (Take R 286 east out of the city, along the north side of Lough Gill, and watch for signs.) It's a spring that trickles down a rock face. When I was there people would press votive candles onto the damp rocks -- a haunting sight!*p*When you're driving along L54 towards the Cliffs of Moher, keep an eye open after you pass Lahinch. A mile or two north, you'll pass a pub on your left -- and one of St. Brigid's most popular wells. (Blink, or drive too fast and you'll miss it. <g>)*p*The well is in a subterranean well-house, and it is stuffed to the gills with offerings and thanks from the people who've used it. From a nature-oriented point of view, it's not the most dramatic well around. However the site has an unmistakeable intensity.*p*I found St. Brigit's Well (Kildare) quite disappointing. It got a through make-over some time in the '50's, and struck me as a rather charmless, dis-spirited sort of place.*p*While it's not a holy well, strictly speaking, I *highly* recommend a visit to Shannon Pot, the source of the river Shannon (whose name means "the ancient goddess"). According to the Dindshencas, the river got its name when a woman named Shannon fell into its source and drowned, while seeking to collect the "mystic bubbles" that would teach her magick.*p*Shannon Pot is south of Enniskillen, on the Republic's side of the border. (If you like caves, Marble Arch, near Enniskillen, is quite lovely.) I think it's on R200, and its shown on most tourist maps.*p*You park in a parking lot, take a short hike through boggy highlands, and then you come upon this... this POT. A big, circular hole in the bog. Water (the source of the Shannon) shoots up into it with incredible force (I couldn't imagine what kind of aquafer/spring was generating it!) and the dark brown waters boil out of the pot through a stream cut deep into the bog. I found it to be an amazingly magickal spot, one of my favorites in Ireland.*p*You'll also notice that there's a pole, with a life preserver, next to the Pot. I thought it was pretty funny looking... until I tried to gather some of the water and, um, almost ended up re-enacting Shannon's legend. <g>*p*Jenny*br* Re: Tours of Ireland Jenny 409 Thu Apr 8 19:17:47 1999