18. DHS - St. Eigne's holy well

Aug 04, 2021, 08:35 PM

Shrine Eighteen: All's well that ends well.
Location: 55.2338, -7.49924
Speaker: Sean McMahon (RIP) and John Hegarty.
Theme: gathering to collect sacred water.

At the top of Mamore, you should stop off to view St. Eigne's Holy Well, renowned for its healing qualities and situated beside shrines to the Virgin Mother and St. Padre Pio. There's a small tin jug by the well and you are encouraged to fill a bottle of holy water to bring home and cure ailments from the eyes to the limbs. By the grottos, you will notice relics of deceased, often young people, left by their families.

Despite the inhospitality of the terrain, you'll notice how all of the mementos are remarkably well preserved. They are traditionally cleared on the 15th of August , the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the day on which Christ's mother was brought up to Heaven 40 days after her earthly death. St Padre Pio is a saint particularly close to the Irish. This Italian monk died in 1968 was believed to have both stigmata and the ultimate party piece, bilocation, the power to be in two places at once.

Audio taken from Donegal's Hallowed Sites on the Racontour Archive.
Spotify URL: Donegal's Hallowed Sites playlist on Spotify

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