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Moyvoughly

Round Barrow(s)

Nearest Town:Tullamore (24km SE)
OS Ref (IE):   N195437 / Sheet: 48
Latitude:53° 26' 34.91" N
Longitude:   7° 42' 23.43" W

Added by FourWinds


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Folklore

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Somewhere in the vicinity of this site is or was a holy well and a bullaun stone:
St Patrick, the great local saint, is commemorated at the present day by a holy well and "knee" situated in the field (locally known as the Street Park) lying west of the school-house. It was usual for an old resident (in the barracks) to make daily pilgrimages to the well. Some of the older residents believed that St. Patrick left the impress of his knee on a rock not far from the well. However, it is quite possible that the "knee" was a mixing place for cattle medicines. It was also usual for sufferers to drop some coins, pins or trifles into the knee. Superstition had it that the ailment would be relieved in this manner. If anyone should take any of these offerings out of the knee, he should be afflicted by warts.
From information recorded for the Schools Collection of Irish folklore in the 1930s, online at Duchas.ie.

The information for the site on the Historic Environment Viewer says that there are exposed blocks of limestone visible in places in the bank of the barrow here. The local landowner pointed out that major drainage operations had taken place here over the years, so large parts of the ground were previously marshy or fully flooded, immediately to NE and E of the barrow. The holy well and bullaun are said to be about 400m to its east.
Rhiannon Posted by Rhiannon
21st May 2017ce
Edited 21st May 2017ce