Thursday 11 January 2007


I'm not too sure what size this image will appear as but I hope it's big enough for you to make out some details. It looks to all intents and purposes like a bush which has had rubbish or rags blown up onto it in the wind - some as they drove past might even wonder at how people couldn't be bothered to clean it up!

This is not rubbish stuck to a bush though, it's actually a very sacred place to many people. The bush, the well, the 'rags', they mean hope to those who tie deliberately tie these rags to that bush over this well. It's a 'Wishing Well' in a manner of speaking, it's not a 'fairy' well - it is a well dedicated to St. Kieran I think, or else since Bridget. I'm not sure which as I was told that the wells with these trees are dedicated to St. Bridget by one older person, but there is another in Seikieran which was the original seat of the Diocese of Ossory and St. Kieran in County Offaly and it is called St. Kieran's well over there.

This particular well is located in County Laois, on the Kilkenny Laois border close to Dysart Wooden bridge.

I'd never seen one of these in my whole life, even though I have read of them. I've actually driven past this one before and never noticed it - this time though I had missed the turn off I wanted to take which is just before this bush. Right across the road from it there is another little road and as I turned into that road to go back I did actually register the 'dirty' looking bush - but then, as I turned the car and faced onto the road again I realised what I was looking at.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I really thought that this wasn't done any more. Anyway, I did take a few photographs of the bush and the well, I'm only putting this one up for now. It's funny how things always happen together, it was only two weeks later that I saw the second bush in Offaly, there was no time to photograph that one though, so I'd like to create an album with different bushes from different parts of the country.
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1 comment:

Paul Bonner said...

Hello Jane, the picture shows on the web browser page as a "thumbnail". Then when I click the picture, it opens up to full screensize and the detail is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this!