This article is from page 34 of the 2008-05-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
ON AUGUST 15, an ancient tradi- tion will return to Tubber thanks to the restoration of one of the Burren’s most historic holy weeks.
The August pilgrimage to the Ri an Domhainaigh holy well has not tak- en place for more than two decades but now, thanks to the Beagh Rural Development Association, the centu- ries-old tradition looks set to return.
“This well is first mentioned in 1669 by a Franciscan friar called Anthony MacBrody in a work pub- lished in Prague. It probably dates back to pre-Christian times and the Church would have put its own mark on it over the centuries,’ said Tony
Diviney of the Beagh Integrated Ru- ral Development Association.
“We started working on these holy wells and ancient sites more than 20 years ago, trying to restore them and improve the look of the parish. We have completed a number of differ- ent projects over the years and we started this about this time last year.
“It was in a very bad condition. The ESB had been through the site a number of years back and you couldn’t even see the well. It was a slow enough process but we are hop- TUOTCMMHaY-T MD LMMY SOO MoLom EDU ToleremDOMBUSOomcO)s August.”
Each August 15, Mass was said at the holy well while people walked around the well and prayed. As
they circled it, they would mark the amount of times around the well by placing a stone on a small holy altar nearby.
“They say that if you turned the stones one way, it was good luck but if you turned them against the sun, you could put a curse on people,” said Paddy Rosengrave of the asso- ciation.
‘The belief that the older people in the parish have in this well is unreal. They came down here to pray on a regular basis, even when the place was nearly inaccessible.
“If the people in olden days got sick, they didn’t go to the doctor. It was off to the holy well that they went. This was their hospital.
“You can see that people have left new money, euros, at the holy altar so people must still be using the well.”
The Ri an Domhainaigh holy well is one of six holy wells located in the Beagh parish. It was historically the busiest local well, thanks in part toa large fair which used to take place in Tubber each August.
The group plans to reopen the well and once again celebrate mass in Ri an Domhainaigh on August 15.