Gadding around in the Gaeltacht

Just crawled in from a seriously big day out. The weather was wonderful. I dropped Himself off in Kealkil and he headed for the hills. I went on into the mountains and Gaeltacht area, six highly obscure wells on the agenda. The Gaeltacht is remote, sparsely populated and confusing - everything is a Bally, and it's all in Irish! Baile Bhúirne (Ballyvourney), Béal Átha an Ghaorthaid (Ballingeary) Baile Uí Bhuaigh, (Balleyvoge), and so on. Easy to get all the ballys mixed up! 


Spectacular scenery and all wells accounted for which surprised me no end. Adventures were had: hedges climbed through, fords traversed, mud up to the wellies and at one point I seemed to have my own flock of sheep following me.  (They were still waiting by the stile on my return). I discovered Tobar n bPian, the Well of Pains, good for bone cures - guarded by a fox; and probably found Tobar Seanganach - the wonderfully named Well of the PLace Abounding in Ants. No ants today but I was aided on this mission by Bertie who arrived armed with a billhook and proceeded to lead me up rocks, through mud and into fords. We weren't entirely sure if we had found the right spot but he reckoned no one had been there since he was a boy when he was  instructed by the father to go there before breakfast and wash his hands - a cure for warts. He never had any.  Later I admired a homemade shrine complete with holy water bottle, saw the stone where St Gobnait had once sat, discovered a well that shouldn't have been there  and sat and thought on the sad fate of the people who once spent a night in the ruins of this old church in 1602- 1000 people fleeing persecution by the English walked from the tip of West Cork 250 miles up to Leitrim. This was their first overnight stop and chosen as a sanctuary. Only 35 reached their destination. Full story here. See extras. 


And there was something about O Murchu's - open and welcoming, with plenty of beer ready for a crowd. I can't remember where this was but there wasn't a soul around. 


Himself and I rendezvoused seven and a half hours later and have just enjoyed a large pizza in Bantry. 


Now I'm going to have a huge bath.