School: Rathowen (B) (roll number 5101)

Location:
Ráth Eoghain, Co. na hIarmhí
Teacher:
T. Mc Garry
Browse
The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0741, Page 161

Archival Reference

The Schools’ Collection, Volume 0741, Page 161

Image and data © National Folklore Collection, UCD.

See copyright details.

Download

Open data

Available under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

  1. XML School: Rathowen (B)
  2. XML Page 161
  3. XML “St Brigid's Well - Kilbixy”

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

  1. In ancient times there was a spring well in the glebe grounds of Kilbixy near Ballynacarrigy. Tradition states that St. Brigid in her wanderings through Westmeath blessed the well - it was therefore called St. Brigid's Well. The well accommodated the people of the locality which was then thickly populated. There was a trout in the well but it was never known how it came there. The people taking water from the well used to feed the trout with crumbs of bread which made it quite a pet.
    A man from the locality named Friel caught the trout killed, cooked, and ate it. Next morning he was a cripple and that day twelve months he died.
    A new parson was appointed to the district. his wife objected to the people trespassing on the land and had the well closed. Next morning it was functioning with full force on the rocky slope of an adjoining farm. The parson and his wife soon afterwards left the district.
    Transcribed by a member of our volunteer transcription project.
    Topics
    1. gníomhairí (~1)
      1. neacha neamhshaolta agus osnádúrtha (~14,864)
        1. naoimh
          1. Bríd (~124)
    Language
    English
    Collector
    Nuala Cregg
    Gender
    Female
    Age
    12
    Address
    Joanstown, Co. na hIarmhí
    Informant
    James Killean
    Relation
    Grandparent
    Gender
    Male
    Age
    85
    Address
    Joanstown, Co. na hIarmhí