Holy Wells
Name: St. John’s Holy Well, Asdee
Irish Name: Kerry
Meaning: The Holy Well of St. John
County: Kerry
Province: Munster
Patron Saint: St. John
Traditions: The well’s traditional pattern day is 24 June, the feast of St. John. Pilgrims have also visited on Saturdays in May and around Michaelmas. The customary rounds involve circling the well three times while reciting prayers and the Rosary. Offerings of religious medals, candles, and devotional images are left at a small shrine featuring an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Cloth strips and rags have also been tied to nearby bushes. Folklore associates the water with relief from rheumatism and eye complaints.
Story:
In Asdee, North Kerry, St. John’s Holy Well has long been a place of prayer for people seeking healing. Also recorded under the Irish name Tobar Naomh Eóin, the well is enclosed by a stone entrance and wooden fencing, with a small devotional shrine nearby.
The well is especially associated with the healing of eye ailments. One story preserved in the Schools’ Folklore Collection tells of a man who came to the spring with impaired sight. After making the rounds and washing his eye with the water, he was said to have recovered his sight. Other local stories recount similar claims of healing, illustrating the place the well held in the community’s spiritual imagination.
The well’s history also reflects the fluid nature of local devotion: records mention associations with St. Senan and St. Luke as well as St. John. Its annual pattern day, prayers, and votive offerings have helped maintain its place in the religious heritage of North Kerry.