Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Some Old Articles


I have had a very fortunate couple of weeks. Firstly, two documents appeared in my mailbox from Cllr. Marie Baker. The first is the article on Tobernea by PJ O'Reilly printed in the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Vol. XII, 1902. You may read it for yourself here. The photos are from 1901 and can be seen to the left. See how big the tunnel to the well was!

The second is a pamphlet that Mrs. Murphy sent over. It's from 'The Way to Dundrum' by Kevin Harrington and it talks about St. Nahi. He apparently lived in the monastery in Tallaght for many years and later became a recluse (as those local saints are famous for becoming). In 1976, when Harrington visited the well, its state is described thus:

The brick tunnels have been partly filled in with stones and clay as they run under the house on the cliff top. The entrance to the well itself is partly filled in but if you squeeze in you can still see the holy well still working. There is plenty of water from the spring. I took some photos of the well. I would very much like to see it cleaned up and open to visitors once more.

Well said, Harrington!

When I visited Mrs. Murphy, she told me to call over to Mr. John Cully. I finally did so two days ago, and the visit was fruitful! Mr. Cully is a man of seemingly infinite historical knowledge, and did indeed know a bit about holy wells and Tobernea. He brought me to the embankment to show me where the well's water empties out into the sea. Plenty of water is flowing, it's quite visible. He also tried to paint a mental picture for me of what the coastline where the well is located might have looked like before the railway embankment went in. It would have been all rocky cliffs, thus Tobernea truly was a seashore well for most of its existence.

I have since spoken to a friend of Mr. Cully's, Conan Kennedy, who is a writer with similar interests. He gave me some advice on getting the word out to the public, and he's going to send me some of his work.

Mr. Cully also put me in touch with the editor of the Blackrock Journal. More to follow.

Another interesting tidbit came from Hugh McLain of the Blackrock Scouts in an email. His brother in law said that 'the well was the end of an escape tunnel from the monestary on Tmple Hill that the Monks would use when the Monestary was being plundered. They always kept a boat at the well apparently.' This well just gets more and more interesting!

It's amazing how much information is out there. It was just a question of asking the right people.

Thanks to John Cully, Conan Kennedy, Mrs. Murphy, Cllr. Marie Baker, and Hugh McLain!

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Some Old Photos


Courtesy of Cllr. Marie Baker:
The date on the file of the first one is 1984. See how there's a path leading to the well? That's sort of how I envisioned it. It would be nice to have that again.

Look closely at the second one: there is a person sitting in the well! And look at how built up it is! Very nice stone arch. I read somewhere that there was a cross hanging over the well in recent years, and I couldn't see how that worked until I saw this picture.

It's amazing how much the grounds have changed in just two and a half decades.

Friday, July 3, 2009

The Book of Blackrock


Ask and ye shall receive! After my last post I got an email from my friend Denis who said he just saw the book I mentioned on our mutual friend's bookshelf. I emailed her and today have the book in my hands: The Book of Blackrock by Liam Mac Cóil (Carraig Books Ltd, 1977). It would seem that the well got quite junked up after the railway embankment went in. At one time it was so full of rubbish that only a bit of water was trickling out. Either someone cleaned it out between then and now or it cleared itself, because the water sounded very busy down there on Wednesday! On page 15 of the 1981 edition, Mac Cóil quotes his grandmother remembering Tobernea:

Ah, I was very small at the time. My poor father used to bring us down. He hadn't what you'd call very strong eyes. And he'd bring a clean cloth and he'd bathe his eyes in the well; and bring a bit of rag, whatever meaning was in the rag I don't know, but the tree was full of rags, red rags and all classes and colours.

The rags tied to the tree are called clooties and are still common at well sites. Most holy wells have a sacred tree nearby to which pilgrims attach clooties to leave behind an ailment that has been washed with the cloth, or perhaps to remind the local spirit or saint of their prayers. I didn't take notice of a tree near the well on Wednesday but will look closer next time I visit.

Mac
Cóil says that the well was a popular place of pilgrimage by people both in and out of town. A pamphlet from the early 18th century written by an unnamed writer talks about 'A Trip to the Black-Rock', when he visited a 'sorry Drinking Hovel' and describes what sounds like rounds performed at a well. The person who brought him to the well talked about someone who regained eyesight 'by the Sanctity of St. Black-rock.'

He also talks about the etymology of 'Tobernea', which seems to be quite up in the air. He agrees that it is likely named for St. Nathy. PJ O'Reilly is quoted in the book and identifies the nea with the New in Newtown (the nearby avenue, a place-name found in Blackrock), and then with someone named Noe or Nathi. Myles Ronan said that in earlier times the area was occupied by a people called the 'Muintir Nathi', which might also lend the nea to 'Tobernea'. Mac Cóil's own conclusion is that nea is an unknown Irish word.

I will add that this book contains the first map I have seen with Tobernea on it, including the modern OS map I borrowed. He also gives pretty detailed directions on how to find the well. What a thrill! If only I had come across this book a year ago.

Thanks to Nastaise Leddy and Denis McArdle!

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

My First Visit


Today at lunchtime, Cllr. Marie Baker was kind enough to escort me to the well. Not only that, but the day before she had a pathway cut through the growth around it so we could get up there without being stung by nettles. Aces! The well is located in the side of a slope which, according to some reading I've done, was once a sea cliff. It is now on the most inland part of the Scouts field, and almost directly under the private garden of Mrs. Murphy above. It is covered over by some wire and metal beams, but you can see down into it, and judging by the sound of the water, the spring is very much alive! Safety is indeed an issue. It is estimated to drop down about six feet, which is scary when children are running around. Cllr. Baker said that there has been talk of restoring it a bit - getting a pathway put in and putting a proper cover on it. I think that the cover is necessary for safety, but I would like to see it done so that there is still a way to access the water.

It was thought to have a cure for sore eyes, as many holy wells were thought to have. Many wells are called T
obar na Súil, or Well of the Eye, because of that. We called up to Mrs. Murphy because she was thought to have a pamphlet or something about the well. She said that the name Tobernea meant 'Washing Well', which phonetically makes sense as the Irish word for 'wash' is 'nigh'. I still believe more that it is named for St. Nathy, but it's an interesting alternative to the meaning. She also said there's a book on Blackrock in the library which has information on the well. However, the library is in a temporary place at the moment and all resources might not be available. I am going to try anyway.

I expressed interest in reviving the pilgrimage to the well. Mrs. Murphy remembered one happening in the past, where a priest would lead the ritual and hymns would be sung. My own interest would be simply to have a spiritual gathering of meditation and celebration that's open to everyone. The site would need to be cleaned up a bit and made absolutely safe first. I'm hoping something can be done for August 1st, but we shall see.

It is so amazing to me that this well is in existence, and is as clean as it seems to be. From the sound of the water, it doesn't seem to be very blocked up. It is so deep. Mrs. Murphy said her late husband went down there once to collect water for someone, but said he wouldn't do it again because of the depth. I look forward to a day when I might climb down there myself.