St Brigid's Well – Clare's rag-tree shrine

Overview

Cornelius O’Brien, the local landlord, built the stone well house here in the 1830s after he put a personal cure down to the spring – and pilgrims have been coming to St Brigid’s Holy Well, or Dabhach Bhride, ever since. It sits in the townland of Ballysteen, opposite Moher Cottage on the R478 west of Liscannor, a couple of kilometres short of the Cliffs of Moher. The well runs across two levels: a lower grotto built into the hillside, and an upper sanctuary reached by a steep flight of steps.

The lower sanctuary has a spring that bubbles without pause, a stone altar, and a bronze statue of St Brigid holding a vessel. Pilgrims leave rosaries, prayer cards and votive candles that burn day and night, and the walls are packed with remembrance cards and photographs. Up the worn steps, the upper sanctuary is a circular space built around a rag-tree hung with clooties and the old O’Brien family graveyard.

If you want to see the place at its liveliest, come on 1 February; the rest of the year it’s usually just you and the candles.

History and traditions

Folklore holds that before Christianity the site was a Lughnasa gathering ground dedicated to Lugh, the harvest god. The spring was later rededicated to St Brigid of Kildare, the 5th-century abbess whose story blends the Christian saint with an older Celtic goddess of the same name. O’Brien’s 1830s well house set the modern shrine in stone, though devotion here runs far deeper.

Three dates anchor the calendar:

• 1 February – St Brigid’s Day
• 15 August – Feast of the Assumption
• Garland Sunday – the old harvest pilgrimage, in late July

On these days pilgrims walk the turas, the traditional circuit: prayers at the lower sanctuary, up the steps, and a round of the upper garden, finishing with a sip of the well water. The water is reputed to cure ailments of the eyes and joints and to ease headaches, a belief recorded in the County Clare holy-wells survey.

What to see and do

• The grotto: Step into the low-arched well house to see the bronze statue and the walls layered with cards, medals and ribbons left over generations.
• The rag-tree: In the upper sanctuary, pilgrims tie a strip of cloth – a clootie – to the ash tree as a prayer for healing or thanks. Leave any offering on the tree, not scattered about.
• The O’Brien graveyard: The burial ground ties the site to the family who shaped this stretch of coast.
• The turas: Walk the full circuit up the steps and around the upper garden; the steep climb is part of the point.

Visiting tips

• Parking is the catch: There are only two or three spaces near the R478 turn-off opposite Moher Cottage. In summer, arrive early or you won’t get in.
• Dress for it: The upper steps are steep and slick after rain, and the site is open to the Atlantic wind. Bring a windproof jacket and sturdy shoes.
• Shuttle bus: The seasonal Burren & Cliffs Explorer shuttle (roughly late May to late September) links Doolin, Liscannor and the Cliffs of Moher; the nearest stop is Liscannor village, a couple of kilometres east along the R478. Check the current timetable at cliffsofmoher.ie before relying on it.
• No facilities: There are no toilets, café or visitor centre on site. Bring water.
• Accessibility: The steep steps and uneven ground rule the upper sanctuary out for wheelchair users.
• It’s a working shrine: Keep the noise down and don’t touch the candles.

Nearby attractions

St Brigid’s Well slots easily into a western Clare day:

• The Cliffs of Moher and visitor centre, two kilometres on.
• Doolin, for traditional music and Burren access.
• Black Head, with its lighthouse and coastal walk.
• Liscannor, with its harbour and castle.
• Corcomroe Abbey, the Burren-edge Cistercian ruin tied to the O’Brien family buried at the well.
• Ballinalacken Castle, a 15th-century tower house north of Doolin near Lisdoonvarna.
• The Burren Way, a long-distance route along the limestone coast.

Practical information

• Address: Ballysteen, near Liscannor, Co Clare. Turn off the R478 opposite Moher Cottage.
• Opening hours: Open 24 hours, all year.
• Admission: Free.
• Contact: No formal contact details; the site is looked after by the local community.
• Coordinates: 52.952586, -9.423115.

For the full picture, time it for St Brigid’s Day on 1 February, when locals walk the turas and the candles multiply; otherwise, drop in on a coastal drive, sip the water at the top, and you’ve done what pilgrims have done here for close to two centuries.