Project Organiser: Michael Houlihan

The tradition of Holy Well visitation is still strong throughout Clare and is a custom that has been performed for many years and is generally passed on through the generations by families and parishes. Through this online presentation by the author of the book ‘The Holy Wells of County Clare’, viewers will learn about a cross-section of the wells, including some ancient, some of concrete and glass from the 1950s, some non-Christian wells, still extant, wells on beaches, in streams and as pools in rock formations.

This project is one of a series supported by the Department of Culture, Heritage and Gaeltacht to showcase elements of Ireland’s Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) as part of Heritage Week 2020.

This tradition is inscribed on Ireland’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage; https://nationalinventoryich.chg.gov.ie/holy-wells-in-county-clare/