This is where I spent this afternoon. We are allowed to meet up anywhere in the county and so Hubbie and I met our friends Charlie and Susie in St Gobnait's Well in Ballyvourney for a picnic. We never knew this place existed before today, but it is regarded as a sacred spot.
On this same site are the ruins of an 8th-century church, a sacred praying circle and a holy well where people come to take holy water. It used to be a pagan site, and the water was believed to endow women with fertility. There are symbols over the windows of the ruined church which indicate people covering their private parts.
Charlie told us of a holy well in Kerry called Tobair Na Suil, which was believed to restore eyesight and another really cool one in Ballyheigue, also in Kerry, called Tobar na nGealt where depressed people used to drink the water. Years later, they discovered that this well contained the chemical, Lithium, which is used in anti-depressant medication.
It poured rain just as we arrived, but once that cleared, Charlie put a blanket on one of the benches and we had a gorgeous picnic and then a wander around the ruins and graveyard. What is really cool about St Gobnait is that she is regarded as the patron saint of bees. Hence the bees carved into the plinth.
The next time any of ye are in Cork, I'll be happy to take you there. And as Susie said, had it not been for Covid-19, we would have met in a pub and completely missed out on this cultural gem.
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