This stone lined circular well, measuring just 0.6 metres in diameter, offers sweeping views westward towards Rathlin O’Birne Island. Known locally as St. Assicus’s Well, this ritual site represents a fascinating connection to early Irish Christianity and the legacy of one of St. Patrick’s appointed bishops.

According to the folklorist Énrí Ó Muirgheasa, writing in 1936, the remains of what locals believe to be St. Assicus’s house or church can still be seen on the western, Malinbeg side of Sliabh Liag. The story goes that Assicus, after being made bishop by St. Patrick and placed at Elphin, chose to spend his final years as a hermit on this remote mountain. Whether this self imposed exile was to atone for some perceived fault or simply reflected his dislike for the people of Elphin remains a matter of local speculation. The saint is said to be buried at Rathcoo, near Ballintra, rather than at this mountain retreat.

Whilst the well was once an important pilgrimage site in the area, Ó Muirgheasa noted that by his time no turas, the traditional pattern of prayer and ritual movement around holy sites, was performed there anymore. Today, this quiet spot in County Donegal stands as a testament to Ireland’s rich tradition of eremitic spirituality, where holy men and women sought solitude in the landscape’s wild places, leaving behind wells, ruins, and stories that continue to mark the land centuries later.