From the Cradle to the Grave: Of Lifecycles and Holy Wells
Holy wells have long been associated with cycles of life and death, and even when we look across the lifecycle of a well itself, we might often find that its purpose, significance and associated stories have changed over time.
The birth of holy wells in Ireland is a tricky topic. The concept of sacred waters can be observed across the globe, and as far back as ancient times, from the Ganges in India where Hindus still bury their dead, to Jesus' baptism in the River Jordan and the Koran which states 'We have created every living thing from water'. Sacred springs were enshrined by the Ancient Greeks who built artificial basins and erected icons of the deities nearby. Both the Romans and the Celts associated water with pagan deities. The River Bann enters the sea at Coleraine and is one of the largest rivers in Ireland. Its name derives from Banda 'a goddess', and this same form appears again as The Bann in Co. Wexford, and as The Bandon in Co. Cork and the river Boyne takes its name from a goddess Bóinn (earlier Boann < Bó Fhind 'white cow'). In Irish mythology, the water in these rivers are said to originate from sources in the Otherworld, and contain supernatural powers that can impart wisdom or healing, and often led to well locations becoming sacred sites with accompanying sacred trees or standing stones, that can still be seen today.
In place-names, the component Billy doesn't refer to a man (nor to a former King of England), but represents an anglicised form of the Irish element bile ‘(large) tree; tree trunk’, which has also been translated as ‘a sacred or historic tree; a tree, especially in a fort or beside a holy well’, and is very often its original meaning in place-names.
Take, for example the townland and parish of Billy, close to Bushmills in Co. Antrim. The townland Billy (Bile 'sacred tree') is the location of a medieval church, but the name might perhaps imply a pre-Christian significance. Indeed, the (ruined) church site contains a standing stone, and a well, a not-so-holy trinity of components from pre-Christian times:
Excerpts from https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/services/sites-and-monuments-record
The arrival of Christianity may well have been a lifeline for holy wells with the passing of time and populations (more on this below), but looking at local place-names can sometimes tell us about wells no longer in the landscape, and allow us to put them back on the map. Tobar is the Irish word for a 'well, spring or source', and it appears variously as a bare element as Tober and Tubber across Ireland:
Distribution map courtesy of logainm,ie
Sometimes tobar appears alongside information on its size or stature, like Tobermore (Tobar Mór 'great well') in Co. Derry, with a metaphorical description like in Tobercurry (Tobar an Choire 'well of the cauldron') in Co. Sligo, and Toberbunny (Tobar Bainne 'well of the milk') in Co. Dublin which might imply sweetness of its water. With place-names like Co. Antrim's townlands named Toberbilly (Tobar Bile ‘well of the (scared) tree’), the long-lost pagan association with the place is clear to see, even when the well is no longer!
Image from google.com
A second (possibly related element) is tiobraid 'fountain, well, spring', seen in Co. Monaghan's Clontibret (Cluain Tiobraide 'meadow of the well'), but of course most well-known for its appearance in the County name Tipperary (Tiobraid Árainn 'well of Ára').
Of course today, most people associate wells with saints, and with Christianity, representing the next stage in the life-cycle of the holy well and this is no means by accident. Finbar McCormick stated that “Baptism is the main means by which wells were changed to Christian use in Tírechán’s Life of the St Patrick” and indeed, Existing centres of pagan devotion, particularly holy wells, were targeted by early Irish saints for their local significance and were re-named and altered to better conform with Christian beliefs. Diverging from wells for just a moment.
The townland of Armaghbrague is the location of St.Patrick's first church in Armagh. Prior to the Christian era, Armaghbrague was the site of a pagan temple, named Ard Macha. St. Patrick would normally have erected a church in the vicinity of this pagan temple, but chose to build his cathedral church nearby in Drumsaileach due to its proximity to Eamhain Macha, the 600 year seat of the kings of Ulster. Drumsaileach then became known as Ardsaileach (in accordance with the tendency of the period to prefix the name of a religious edifice with ard-). St. Patrick then apparently altered Ardsaileach to Ard Macha to secure, for his own foundation, the prestige previously attributed to the pagan temple. The name of the site of the pagan temple then became Ard Macha Breughaighe ‘the height of the false Macha’.
Folklore and supernatural legends surrounding holy wells were amended to attribute the powers thought to exist there to a local saint or holy person. Subsequent centuries also saw the erection of churches close to these ancient sacred places, further enhancing the optics of compatibility of the new religion with the old. In earlier times, the wells were used for Christian baptisms until the Roman church adopted the use of baptismal fonts inside.
While a huge number of Saints are commemorated in holy wells, none are more so than St. Patrick. One such well is St. Patrick's Well in Belcoo, Co. Fermanagh. The site is thought to have been formerly associated with Crom Dubh, a pagan harvest god. merry-making, and human sacrifice. At the site, the pagan god's altar was struck by St. Patrick's staff, breaking it into pieces, expelling Crom Dubh thus transforming the site into a holy Christian landmark. It has been reported that one of the bullaun stones is said to have the prints of St. Patrick's horse or donkey on it.
The revived significance of holy wells with their adoption into the Christian tradition has no-doubt ensured their survival until now. But it is widely understood that increased residential and commercial construction, as well as repurposing of land for agricultural purposes means holy well sites are at risk of loss and/or destruction, and sadly the life-cycle of many of these important sites could be close to an end. Current efforts to record holy well sites that remain in active use, and those almost lost to living memory, rely heavily on the public. Join our efforts in recording as many wells as we can for #wellwednesday and The Festival of Archaeology. Keep an eye on our social media channels for more information!