A pub on the path to Saint Brendan's well
Valencia Island was once known as the Island of Oaks, where
majestic trees formed a protective barrier from the relentless attack of the
Atlantic storms. Today there are only a few young oak trees on the island. All
the rest have been stripped and cut down to be used for timber. The
deforestation of Ireland took place just before the Plantation era and is quite
possibly one of the great ecological disasters of Europe. Once, Ireland was the
most heavily forested land in all of Europe. Visitors noted that its forests
were so dense that even a person on foot struggled to enter woods and forests
within meters of the coast. Today Ireland’s deforestation is complete. Vast
swaths of land are barren and empty - but this too has a solemn beauty, maybe
less mystical, but certainly still spectacular. On Valencia Island in County
Kerry my trip began on a misty day when low clouds stuck to the ridges in a
solemn mourning for the trees that once were.
A view of the Skellig's from Valencia Island
The trip was essentially a bike run amidst impressive and
truly breathtaking scenery, but I can’t resist stopping at every hole in the
hedge just to see whats there. The whole area is quite literally littered with
ancient monastic sites, very early Christian beehive huts, holy wells, dolmens
and pagan burial sites and standing stones. There is a huge wealth of ancient
rocks and sites that you could spend days chasing down and pondering. I have
limited this entry to three wells, but in reality there are many more that I
could have seen. The first well I visited was Saint Brendan’s well which seemed
the most appropriate well to visit after a long motorbike journey through rain,
mist and fog. I parked the bike, set up camp and walked to the well on the
western tip of Valentia Island in County Kerry. At the opposite end of the
island is a 385 million year old set of footprints in the rock from a tetrapod.
It is one of only four places in the world to see such a trackway. The mist was
starting to lift and I could see the Skelligs in the distance beginning to reveal
themselves as a great, stunning gateway to the unknown. The craggy pinnacles silently
attested to the ferocity of the Atlantic and the dangers for those who
travelled by sea. I could easily imagine the resting monks rise at the end of
time with scales in their hands ready to pass a judgement. During my trip I did
make it out to Skellig Michael (dedicated to the Archangel Michael) where the
earliest monastic settlement in all of Europe is to be found. It is both
stunning and eerie; a mystical place full of the terrifying presence of the
Almighty.
Saint Brendan's Holy Well
Saint Brendan is strongly associated with this whole area. Born
in Carriage Luachra (Tralee) in 484 and baptized by Saint Erc at Tubrid near
Ardfert (in what is now a holy well) he went on to study under the careful
instruction of Saint Ita. After completing his studies he was ordained priest
in 512 by Saint Erc. Between 512 and 530 Brendan lived an austere monastic life
at the foot of Mount Brandon. Here he was given a vision of an island where the
word of God had not yet reached and the people sat in darkness. The angel in
the vision told him that this land could be a paradise and that he should set
out on a journey to bring the Gospel to every last corner of the known world.
Old Irish calendars marked the departure of Brendan with his company of monks
with a feast day on 22nd March and the eighth century litany of
Saint Aengus of Culdee invokes the intercession of “the sixty who accompanied
Lord Brendini in his quest for the Land of Promise”. Latin and Irish versions
of the Life of Brendan (known today as the Navagatio and dating to the eighth
century) survive but the accounts were generally regarded as total fiction as
it was believed that the vessel used by the monks would have ensured a swift
death on the furious Atlantic and that the account of the journey is in fact an
extended allegory. However, in 1976 the explorer Tim Severin sailed in a
replica of the boat to the Aran Islands off Galway, then to the Hebrides and
Faroes, onwards to Iceland and across to Canada, proving that the journey of
Brendan could indeed have been an extensive reality. In a curiously prophetic
sense many centuries later many thousands of Irish would pass through the
gateway of the Skelligs to a land that was full of promise. As a result of his
journeys Brendan has always been seen as the patron saint of sailors and those
who travel.
An early Christian Cross at Saint Brendan's well
Saint Brendan’s well on Valencia island is situated close to
the base of Bray head on the western side of the island, nestled on a flat
plain that leads out to some spectacular cliffs. There are a total of three
ancient Irish crosses and the tiny brown, peaty watered well has a new
construction around it and a few offerings left which were some of the most
interesting I’d seen at a well. It included notes of farewell from those who
were leaving to go to the USA for work and had a certain sadness about it.
Saint Brendan is said to have come and scaled the cliffs of the island and come
up onto the land to meet with two people who were seriously ill. After
instructing them in the faith they were both baptized at this well and became
the two first Christian converts of the island. This is a local story tradition
of Valencia that isn’t recorded in either the Life of Brendan or the Navagatio.
Around the well lie large railway sleepers where people can sit, facing out to
sea. It was easy to sit there and imagine the sense of distance and also loss
at parents whose children had gone to far off places for work.
Offerings left at the well
Shall I abandon, O King of mysteries, the soft comforts of
home?
Shall I turn my back on my native land, and turn my face
towards the sea?
Shall I put myself wholly at your mercy, without silver,
without a horse, without fame, without honour?
Shall I throw myself wholly upon you, without sword and
shield, without food and drink, without a bed to lie on?
Shall I say farewell to my beautiful land, placing myself
under your yoke?
Shall I pour out my heart to you, confessing my manifold
sins and begging forgiveness, tears streaming down my cheeks?
Shall I leave the prints of my knees on the sandy beach, a
record of my final prayer in my native land?
Shall I then suffer the kind of wound that only the sea can
inflict?
Shall I take my tiny boat across the wide, sparkling ocean?
O King of the glorious heaven, shall I go of my own choice
upon the sea?
O Christ, will you help me on the wild waves?
The prayer of Saint Brendan after receiving the vision (from
the Navagatio)
The 'Safe Forest' in Glanleam Gardens
At the other end of the island, not far from the pretty
little village of Knightstown is a private garden which sits in a protected
cove that offers an unusual amount of protection from the worst of the elements
and allows the owners to grow all manner of sub-tropical species. For a modest
sum you can spend an afternoon there exploring the gardens and admiring the
plants. There are a whole cluster of different walks, but up through the bamboo
and a brisk walk through a very dense patch of forest that is almost pitch black
at its heart, lies a path leading up a slight slope to the left. You can’t see
the well until you are right up at it, but it is at the very end of the path.
This well is dedicated to Saint Finian.
Saint Fhonian's Holy Well
There are a number of Saint Finian’s in Ireland, but the Finian
described as Fhonian/Fionnán is a saint who is local to the Kerry region. He is
said to have established a number of monastic settlements and churches, but none
of the churches survive today – not even in the form of rubble remains. There
are a few ogham stones which mention him and some ancient crosses, or the
remains of ancient crosses and almost all of the holy wells dedicated to him
are of simple character, having only a few stones and sometimes a cross. Little
is actually known about Saint Fhonian at all, but he has schools, hospitals,
bays and houses all named after him in this area. Legend has it that he was
converted and educated on Skellig Michael, before returning to the area to
begin his mission. He lived and died in the area and his grave is at
Kilfountain on the Dingle peninsula with a cross pillar stone marked in ogham
with his name.
The holy well
This holy well was restored in 2009 after having been
forgotten for a long period. It was badly overgrown and the well housing had
been filled with rubble and gravel and the well water had begun to rise
elsewhere. After the rubble and gravel was removed, the water returned to the
rough hewn and simple form well housing. Some sources indicate that the well
had twelve stones nearby to represent the twelve apostles, but there is no
indication of how these stones were arranged. At other wells this can also be
seen, but it is normally a simple pile of stones, possibly a nod to the piles
left during the Exodus to form the altar or to symbolize the twelve tribes of
Israel. Today, the restorers have re-set eleven of the stones (I’m not sure if
they are the original stones or stones they have brought in) and arranged them
in a stone circle around the well. It’s very effective, but the high grass hid
most of them on the day I paid a visit. The well was shallow, but still there,
with a handy ladle to gather some water and a very simple stone cross in
keeping with other Saint Fhonian holy wells.
Fountain pools in the sub-tropical gardens
This garden has more peace than I think Gethsemane did on
that fateful night, but maybe we can join in a prayer of submission to God’s
will even in a place that is so peaceful and still.
The view from the end of the garden
Lord, if what I seek be according to your will, then let it
come to pass and let success attend the outcome. But if not, my God, let it not
come to pass. Do not leave me to my own devices, for your know how unwise I can
be. Keep me safe under your protection Lord, and in your own gentle way, guide me
as only you know best.
Amen.
The Ring of Skelligs Road
In County Kerry the famous road is known as the Ring of
Kerry, renowned for its spectacular views, high mountain passes and many
picturesque villages and towns - at least, so long as the sun shines! A less
well known route is the Ring of Skelligs (from the N70) that is like a
miniature version of the Ring of Kerry, but more unspoiled and with much less
traffic. It’s roads are narrow and its hairpin bends are treacherous, but the
panic of trying to manoeuvre a heavy bike around a three hundred and forty degree
corner on a gradient no road builder would dream of constructing a road on
today was definitely worth it all the same. The views out over the bays are
beautiful and the mountain passes are spectacular.
Tobairin
If you set out from Portmagee and track through the village
towards the coast and cliffs a road takes you straight up over a beautiful
mountain pass. The cliffs can’t be seen from this angle, but the steep rise up
to them looks as if someone has literally torn away the landscape as if it were
a sheet of paper. Halfway up the mountain slope sits a little shrine to the
Blessed Virgin Mary and beneath it a little well known as Tobairin. The shrine
is dedicated to Our Lady of Grace, Coomanspig, and was opened in 1994 by Bishop
Bill Murphy at a Mass with five hundred people present. It’s a slightly gaudy
shrine, but it sort of works with the landscape. You certainly can’t miss it,
which no doubt was the intention, but a mawkish, overly sentimental prayer of
the Virgin doesn’t help it. Around it are flat stones that have rubbed crosses
in them made by passing pilgrims which moved me far more than the garden gnome
statue of Our Lady and the blubbing prayer.
A rubbed stone at the well
It’s not clear what the history of this well is or who it
was originally dedicated to. The dedication to the Blessed Virgin Mary is a
relatively new thing. There are a number of early Christian sites in the
vicinity though, a beehive cluster and the remains of an oratory. It might be
that the original dedication has been lost, but its new dedication probably
holds a poignancy for the many mothers who have watched their children grow up
and leave this area, some destined for further shores in search of work or a
new life and maybe that mawkish prayer hides a much more deeply felt sentiment
that is still a little raw for some. Like Saint Brendan’s well then, this too
is a well of travelers and here, as I prepared to set off home again, it seemed
as good a place as any to pause and pray for safety on the road. Little did I
know that those horrific hairpin bends were just over the ridge!
The view from the well
Be with us on our travels, Lord, and grant us a careful and
watchful eye for both young and old. Keep us from a needless speeding, passing
earth’s beauties heedlessly and grant us attentiveness at all times and the
sense to stop and rest when tired. Keep danger from our paths and a
preparedness for what we cannot see, that we may travel through this life in
safety and come to peace at last in our eternal home at your appointed time.
Amen
The Skelligs
How to find it:
Saint Brendan’s well is clearly signposted on Valentia
Island. After crossing the bridge turn left at the top of the road and follow
the signs. It is difficult to see this well until you are very close to it.
Saint Fhonian’s well is also clearly marked on a map which
will be given to you when you enter Glanleam sub-tropical gardens. The gardens
can be found up the hill from Knightstown on the eastern coast of Valentia
Island.
Tobairin is on the Ring of Skelligs route, halfway up the
road towards the first mountain pass outside Portmagee.
Portmagee
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