Ritual site - holy well, Abbeylands, Co. Donegal
At the confluence of the Abbey and Erne rivers near Ballyshannon sits Tobernaboghilla, a modernised shrine that continues to draw pilgrims from across County Donegal.
Ritual site - holy well, Abbeylands, Co. Donegal
This holy well, dedicated to St. Patrick, has been a site of religious devotion for centuries, with formal records of its use dating back to at least 1936. The well sits in Abbey Bay, Assaroe, roughly a mile from Ballyshannon town centre, where the merging waters have long been considered sacred.
The site remains an active place of pilgrimage, with stations performed from 10th June to 20th September each year. The Feast of the Assumption on 15th August sees the largest gatherings, when devotees travel twenty to thirty miles to complete the traditional prayer rounds. These stations involve specific prayers and rituals performed at designated spots around the well, a practice that connects modern visitors with generations of Irish Catholics who sought healing, blessings, or spiritual solace at this riverside shrine.
While the well has been modernised over the years, likely with protective stonework and improved access paths, it retains its essential character as a rural holy site. The location at Abbeylands hints at an earlier monastic presence in the area, suggesting that this confluence of rivers has been recognised as spiritually significant since medieval times. Today, Tobernaboghilla stands as one of many holy wells scattered across the Irish landscape; places where pre-Christian reverence for water sources merged with Catholic tradition to create uniquely Irish sacred spaces.