Ritual site - holy well, Carngarrow, Co. Donegal
In the slightly marshy pastureland of Carngarrow, County Donegal, lies a holy well dedicated to St. Patrick that offers a glimpse into Ireland's long tradition of sacred water sites.
Ritual site - holy well, Carngarrow, Co. Donegal
The well itself is a modest but carefully constructed feature, consisting of a rectangular opening in the earth measuring 2 metres by 1.5 metres across and extending about a metre deep. Stone revetments line the sides, demonstrating the care taken by past generations to maintain this ritual site.
What makes this particular well intriguing is the collection of features surrounding it. Behind the well sits a partially overgrown cairn of loose stones, with one notably massive block incorporated into the pile; whether this represents an earlier structure or was built specifically in relation to the well remains unclear. Most curious of all is the waisted stone standing beside the well, a peculiar carved pillar just 22 centimetres tall that narrows in the middle before widening again at both ends, with the top and bottom measuring 22 and 12 centimetres respectively.
Like many Irish holy wells, this site likely served as a place of pilgrimage and healing for centuries, with local people visiting to pray, leave offerings, or collect water believed to have curative properties. The dedication to St. Patrick suggests it may have been Christianised from an earlier pagan water source, a common pattern throughout Ireland where ancient sacred sites were absorbed into Christian tradition rather than abandoned.