Holy Wells In Ireland
A Pilgrimage for the Millennium
For thousands of years the holy well has been considered sacred, a place where people have held rituals and sought healing for body and soul. Our ancestors visited holy wells and kept the tradition of the rituals alive especially on "pattern" days. These were special holy days, often the feast day of a saint associated with the well or with the parish were the well was. The rituals varied but most involved walking clock-wise around the well reciting prayers and washing or drinking the water.
Most holy wells existed as places of ritual long before Christianity. With the modernisation of agriculture, many holy wells have disappeared and many more are threatened. The best way to ensure their existence into the next millennium is to visit them. Here one pilgrim draws attention to the holy wells as sacred places that deserve honour and care.