Struell Wells ( ga, Toibreacha an tSruthail;
Ulster-Scots: ''Struell Waals'') are a set of four
holy wells in the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
of Struell, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of
Downpatrick,
County Down
County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 531,665. It borders County Antrim to th ...
,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...
(grid ref: J513442).
The wells date from before the time of
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints b ...
, and even today are used for people seeking cures. On Mid-Summer Eve (
Saint John's Eve
Saint John's Eve, starting at sunset on 23 June, is the eve of celebration before the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. The Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:26–37, 56–57) states that John was born six months before Jesus; therefore, the feast ...
) and the Friday before
Lammas, hundreds of pilgrims used to visit Struell.
The earliest written reference to the wells is in 1306, but none of the surviving buildings is earlier than about 1600. Pilgrimages to the site are well documented from the 16th century to the 19th century.
The site is managed by the
Northern Ireland Environment Agency.
Features
A fast flowing stream runs in a south-easterly direction, partly underground, through the secluded, rocky valley, along which is ranged five buildings. The stream (in
Irish ''sruthar'') (or ''sruthail''
) gives the site its name.
The Wells and Saint Patrick
History
In 2006, Environment and Heritage Service officials were asked to explain why the wells were drying up and why two of the wells on the site no longer contained water. They said they were aware of the water flow problems and had remedial measures in place which would involve the excavation of some of the piping.
Gallery
Image:Struell Wells (01), October 2009.JPG, Struell Wells sign, October 2009
Image:Struell Wells (03), October 2009.JPG, Struell Wells information board, October 2009
Image:Struell Wells (04), October 2009.JPG, Well at Struell Wells, October 2009
Image:Struell Wells (10), October 2009.JPG, Women's bath house, Struell Wells, October 2009
Image:Struell Wells (15), October 2009.JPG, Well at Struell Wells, October 2009
Image:Struell Wells (14), October 2009.JPG, Church at Struell Wells, October 2009
References
External links
Irish Antiquities – Photographs of Struell Wells
{{coord, 54, 19, 25.71, N, 5, 40, 36.17, W, region:GB, display=title
Buildings and structures in County Down
Holy wells in Ireland
Springs of Ireland
Religion in County Down
Downpatrick
Archaeological sites in County Down
Northern Ireland Environment Agency properties
Landforms of County Down
Bodies of water of Northern Ireland
Christian holy places