Holy Wells

Name: Tobar na Faoileoige (St. Conall’s Well)

Irish Name: Tobar na Faoileoige

Meaning: The Well of the Seagull

County: Donegal

Province: Ulster

Patron Saint: St. Conall

Traditions: According to folklore collected in County Donegal, visitors came to the well seeking relief from toothache and other ailments. People drank its water and carried some home. Beads, prayer books, and religious medals were left as offerings, while prayers included the Rosary, the Our Father, and the Hail Mary. Friday was traditionally considered a favourable day for making the station. These accounts preserve the beliefs and devotional practices of the local community rather than evidence of medical cures.

Story: 

In the townland of Kilkenny in County Donegal, Tobar na Faoileoige preserves a small but fascinating piece of Ireland’s sacred folklore. The well was associated with St. Conall, who was said to have blessed it during his travels through the region.

Its unusual name, meaning “Well of the Seagull,” comes from a story recorded in the National Folklore Collection. According to local legend, a seagull carried a white stone from the well to a sick girl on Arranmore Island, and she began to recover. Other accounts describe pilgrims praying at the spring for healing, particularly from toothache, and leaving religious objects as signs of devotion.

These stories reveal how holy wells became woven into the imaginative life of rural Ireland. They were places where faith, landscape, local memory, and hope for healing came together across generations.