School: Swords (B.) (roll number 755)
- Location:
- Swords, Co. Dublin
- Teacher: A. Hamill

Archival Reference
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0789, Page 155
Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.
See copyright details.
DownloadOpen data
Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
- XML School: Swords (B.)
- XML Page 155
- XML “Holy Wells”
Note: We will soon deprecate our XML Application Programming Interface and a new, comprehensive JSON API will be made available. Keep an eye on our website for further details.
On this page
- There are two holy wells that I know of in Swords parish, Saint Colmcilles at Swords and Saint Werburghs at Feltrim. People were supposed to visit them in years gone by but they do not now. St. Colmcille is the patron Saint of Swords and the well is called after him. It is on the South side of the village of Swords. It is said that St. Colmcille took a step from the tower and that where he put down his foot water sprang up and formed a well which never went dry. St. Colmcille had a hospital for lepers at Spiddal hill and he used the water from the well for the hospital and the water was supposed to contain a cure. It is still said that it will cure sore eyes if they are washed in it. There is now a pump over the well and the water is used for drinking purposes. People used to visit St. Werburghs well at Feltrim and leave medals, beads and many other things there.
Written by:-Thomas Dooley
Ballymadrough
Donabate- Collector
- Thomas Dooley
- Gender
- Male
- Address
- Ballymadrough, Co. Dublin
- Informant
- Thomas Dooley
- Gender
- Male
- Age
- 46
- Address
- Ballymadrough, Co. Dublin