|
|
Holy Wells | The Three Hail Mary Stones |
Danaher records the presence of a well, in the townland of Knocknagranshee, called Toberlaghteen. This well is on the lands of Martin Molony. No devotions have taken place here in a number of years and the well has dried up. Devotions were held on March 19th in the past. The well was enclosed with a wall and roof over it. Danaher states that he found an inscription on the wall that read "This was erected by James Keating in ye year of our Lord 1791 that lived in Grangehill. Pray for him". This well reputedly cured eye ailments, and rags were hung on the trees as offerings. According to legend the well moved when profaned. The well has been dry since 1955, although a spring sometimes breaks out beside the cupola in a pool. The waters of this well were once so powerful that they were harnessed to work a horizontal mill. The well was partly overgrown when we visited the site. An ash tree overhung the well when Danaher visited the well in 1955. Rags were tied to the tree as an offering. St Senan's well was a Holy Well beside the church site of Cill Onchon Mór. However, devotions are no longer held here, and the exact location of the well is no longer known.
Three stones are set side by side in the grass margin by the road, midway between Manister village and Lacka cross, in the townland of Cahirduff. According to legend, they were used as weighing scales by the abbot to show that a simple prayer was more efficacious than a large material gift. The following poem, written by Ned O'Donnell, is taken from a booklet on the Parish of Manister.
Holy Wells | The Three Hail Mary StonesHeritage Project Home | Manister Home | Back to Top |