Tobar Breedy

A very happy St Bridget's Day to you as here in Ireland we welcome in the Spring - really! We're still on the old Celtic calendar and today is the first day of Imbolc, the ancient Celtic festival of rebirth and renewal. Craftily, the Christian church assimilated the older pagan goddess Brigid and rebranded her as St Bridget, to put it very simply, and the old festival continues! St Bridget is immensely popular, up there with St Patrick and it seemed only right to kick off the holy wells project by visiting a well dedicated to Herself.

Here we are at Tobar Breedy, a tiny little well on a small peninsula jutting out into Lough Hyne, in an impossibly scenic and remote spot. The sun shone (!), the wind whipped and we spotted our first primrose. We were given instructions on how to find it: look out for the rock just before the church. Climb onto it then approach on your knees. Look out for the holly tree and the well is near that.  Spot on. We did get muddy knees but more from the narrowness of the path than sanctity! Covered in ferns and bracken, this well has two small bowl-shaped hollows in a little basin. Once an important place of pilgrimage I don't think it has had many visitors for some time. Traditionally pilgrims left a coin as an offering and we were thrilled to find a few rusty specimens. Farmers would take bottles of water back to their cattle, for St Bridget is patron of cows and dairymaids - amongst others!  And talking of knees, that little cavity on the left is meant to be an imprint of St  Bridget's knee as she knelt down to  pray - there's another on the other side. Just as we were clambering back down a rainbow appeared - a sign from St Bridget herself I'm sure!

Once back in Skibbereen for some lunch we were delighted to see people shaking hands in the supermarket and wishing each other a happy St Bridget's Day.

This is of course the start of International Holy Wells' Month (yes, I have just made that up) when the Blip challenge is to find as many as possible worldwide. Yes, that's where you come in! Please go out searching - some of you are already hooked - blip the results and tag holywell. I wonder how many we can find! Spread the word! A helpful list here

And the blog is up and running - please take a peek at www.holywellsofcork.com. Now I need a lie down in a darkened room.