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.