School: Bun Machan

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1. Tobar Chill Fhia

   

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   Close to the village of Stradbally there is a well whose waters have for generations been believed to have miraculous curative properties for almost all diseases but particularly for diseases of the stomach such as vomiting. Strange to say nobody ever faced this well for water for household purposes. But numerous indeed were those who visited this holy well to drink of its waters and they never failed to leave some small gift or token in return for the water they had drunk or were bringing away with them. For miles around the inhabitants of this district firmly believed that three mouthfuls of the water of Tobar Cill Fiadh could cure them of any complaint; they had much more faith in the water of this well than they had in doctors' medicines. The people who now throng to a dispensary if they lived in those days would have gone to the well instead. So great was the respect that old and young had for these waters that not even the youngest child would touch a button or a ribbon that had been placed there. The well was as sacred to them as the Church of God.
   Time passed on and visits to the holy well continued and many were the cures that were worked there. A few people, however, ridiculed the traditions and laughed with incredulity at the "simplicity" as they called it of the inhabitants. We come to later times. A recent owner of the field in which the well is

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   Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.

   History Edit

   Language

   English

   Location

   Stradbally, Co. Waterford

   Collector

   Ita Coffey

   Gender

   Female

   Informant

   Mary Coffey

   Gender

   Female

   Age

   49

   Occupation

   Teacher