Our Lady's Well

About one and a half miles outside the town of Athenry there is a well names 'Our Lady's Well'. On the 15th August every year there is a pilgrimage held to this well to which large crowds of people throng. There is a beautiful statue of Our Blessed Lady at which vases of flowers and candled are kept. The custom of the people when they go to the well is to make fifteen stations in honour of Our Lady. Each person collects fifteen small stones an when they have a station finished they drop one. It is believed that an apparition of Our Blessed Lady was seen there by some old person. In the seventh century a battle was fought between the Irish and the Anglo - Irish. I t was fought at Kingsland near the Holy Well on the 15th of August Our Lady's day. The Anglo-Irish did not want to fight on that day but the Irish did. The Irish went up to Kingsland and fought them bu they were defeated. In thanksgiving the Anglo -Irish went to this well on account of us getting the victory.

Written by Ethna O' Loughlin (12 years) 1938