The stained glass window of the saint in Castletownsend
The coastline of
West Cork is rugged and picturesque, with beautiful scenery and the Atlantic’s
roar, but nestled in Castlehaven is a secluded little bay. It takes its name
from the haven provided by the bay and the castle originally built by the
O’Driscoll family, but now in ruins. Its original name was an Irish name for
Glenbarrahane that derived from the deep rocky glen that in times past was
dedicated to Saint Barrahane (or Bearchán). The scenery in this area is
impressive, with three distinctive rocks known as ‘the stags’ and a cluster of
small islands. The sea around this coastline can be quite treacherous at times,
but this peaceful and very sheltered bay is the perfect spot for boats and the
depth of bay has been exploited in the past.
Castlehaven bay
Part of the
Battle of Kinsale, which was to finally cement English rule in Ireland under
Elizabeth I was fought here in 1601. The Battle of Kinsale essentially started
as far back as the twelfth century, when England began a programme of attempted
consolidation of the power of the monarchy. English monarchical rule relied
upon the eldest child receiving all the power, wealth and title inheritance
with all its benefits, but many were aware of the Irish system of chieftains
where power and title were only granted through a complex series of elections
involving all parts of a relevant community. Kings were also elected in the
same way in Ireland (at least in theory!) and there were and could be multiple
kings, even for the same area. The idea of an English monarch being a single monarch
for a large area and to be granted a right by inheritance was an anathema to
many Irish people, and as soon as England began it’s campaign of consolidating
power to a single monarch for Ireland, the chieftains kicked back and were able
to claim that they were defending their ancient rights and customs. As time
trundled on, the rhetoric quickly turned to war.
The ruins of Glenbarrahane church
By the time Henry
VIII was on the throne in England the whole of Europe was rife with religious
and political tension and paranoia.
It was during this time that Henry was most keen to consolidate the
power of the English monarchy in Ireland and he knew that the only way to
break the power of the chieftains was to remove them - permanently; an idea that
he carried out with exacting ruthlessness. Henry’s actions were to cause much
disquiet in Ireland and by the time Elizabeth I came to the throne there were
fears of uprising, but Elizabeth favoured a different route and sought to
belittle and dilute the chieftains power through the plantations. But Ireland
was not to remain as quiet as she had hoped. In 1590 the English experienced
the most significant resistance to date from forces in Ulster under the
direction of Hugh O’Neill (Aodh Mór Ó Néill). At this time the English hoped to
establish a series of strongholds to strangle and thwart the Gaelic rule of the
chieftains, but the Irish used ambush tactics to destroy supply lines to the
garrisons, sometimes resulting in major casualties. In the end the English had
to sign a humiliating truce in 1599 under the command of the Earl of Essex, but
the tide was to turn on O’Neill. The Irish were very effective in their
ambushes and their knowledge of the lay of the land, but in the open battle
field they would be utterly humiliated and defeated. The Ulster rebellion came
to a crushing defeat.
Crossing the stream to the well
By 1601 the Irish
were desperate. Fears of a French or Spanish invasion of England using Ireland
as a stepping stone began to surface, but the paranoia of the English on this
matter was to turn into a horrifying reality. The Gaelic Earls shook the hand of the devil, and in
exchange for gold accepted the military support of the Spanish and their King,
Philip III. The Spanish had little interest in Ireland, other than making use
of it as a distraction for English forces while it waged its war with the Dutch
elsewhere for shipping rights, spices and the delights of the East that
promised glory and wealth. With England tied up in a war in Ireland it could
sink it’s ships in the East without fear of repercussion and throw all its might
at the Dutch. The war of distraction for the Spanish centred on the town of
Kinsale. The Spanish general, Aguila, was quick to surrender to the English as
he began to realise the power of the Irish chieftains was already decimated
before they had even arrived to give aid. The battles and clashes were bloody
and costly, and finally resulted in the ‘Flight of the Earls’ - the end of Gaelic rule in Ireland.
On the path to the well
Castlehaven was
the site of a significant battle in this whole affair. O’Driscoll, who was Lord
of the Fort at Castlehaven, was lavished with gold from the Spanish and he was
quick to announce across the area that he was in full support of the Spanish
forces. Baltimore, Innisherkin and Dunboy quickly followed his lead. The
Spanish exploited the deep waters of the bay in Castlehaven and arranged their
fleet in its shelter. The English Admiral Leveson arrived with his fleet of
ships, but the wind was blowing them away from the coast. Despite the weather
acting against them, they managed to sink every last Spanish ship in the bay,
but arrangements had been made for a battery on the shore and Leveson's ships
were seriously damaged and sent limping back to Kinsale. Due to the sinking of
the Spanish ships in the bay there was no one left to return to Kinsale to join
the battle there. The plan had been disastrous and in 1602 all surrendered. For
Spain it was costly, but nevertheless something of a success as a war of
distraction. For Ireland it was a terrible tragedy that cost many lives and by
consequence hammered the nail in the coffin of the system of chieftains. On
Castlehaven beach, Hugh O’Donnell joined the rest of the earls of Ireland, and
fled in fear to Spain.
Saint Barrahane's Holy Well
Today the bay has
little sign of such a turbulent past. The ruins of the castle are almost hidden
by ivy and a small ruin of an old Church of Ireland parish called Glenbarrahane
parish sits amidst ancient tombstones, slowly decaying. From the beach up to the church ruin is
a concrete path and road with a low wall, but turning into the church grounds
you should be able to make out a small path through the grass towards the back
of the church where there is a gate. This gate leads across a small stream and
the path heads up a densely wooded and very damp glen. Across a small wooden
bridge and on the other side of the glen lies the well, noticeable by the
objects left at it. The well itself is very small and at quite a high elevation
from the surrounding waters, shrouded in shrubs and trees. There has never been
a pattern observed at this well, probably because the date of the feast day of
Saint Barrahane has been long forgotten, but fishermen frequent this well to
pray for safety at sea, and a tradition of using water from this well in
Castletownsend parish for baptism is maintained to this day. The Church of
Ireland parish, dedicated to Saint Barrahane, also boasts a fine stained glass
window of the saint by Harry Clarke.
The bay
Virtually nothing
is known about Saint Barrahane. There are two Saint Barrahane’s from Offaly and
another from Roscommon, but the Barrahane of Castlehaven is quite different. We
do not know when he was born or when he died, but we can conclude that he was of
the relatively early period of Christianity in Ireland. Local records try to
make a claim of a fine genealogical background, but in many other records he is
simply recorded as the son of Fiachre. He does not appear to have moved from
the area during his life and appears to have had no significant missionary
activity, so perhaps can be assumed to have been a hermit. Whatever the truth
may be, this mysterious saint found a spot of solace, peace and prayer in
Castlehaven.
This area has had
many significant losses to the sea in the fishing industry, many have died in
truly tragic circumstances, so it seems fitting at this well to pray for the
safety of those at sea by this well surrounded by nets and floats.
O God, who
brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea and carried them safely
through the deep as the sang praises to you, guard all your servants who make
their living on the sea, and having repelled all dangers, bring them to the
desired port after a calm voyage; through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, world without end.
Amen.
How to find it:
From
Catletownsend, take the L4218 and turn left after about a mile at the signpost
for Catlehaven Castle. Travel down this road to Caslehaven until you reach the
bay. Go through the church grounds (now a ruin) and enter the gate, crossing
the stream and following the path up through the glen. The well is a short walk
up the other side after crossing the wooden bridge
