Improvement Works started on Seven Blessed Wells in Offaly

WORK has begun at the site of the Seven Blessed Wells in Killeigh.

At the monthly meeting of Tullamore Municipal District Senior Executive Engineer John Connelly said, ''We have started working there. It's a small amount of money €12,000 to redo the fencing and gravel drive.''

An extract from Duchas.ie website which includes a manuscript collection, a school's collection and a photograph collection from around the country, contains the the following piece which was transcribed by Sarah Dunne from Killeigh school.

''There are two blessed wells in Killeigh at present. Long ago there were eight blessed wells. Seven of them were together in one field. It is called the well field. One of the seven is there now. The other six have dried up."

There is a fence round the well. Many people have been cured by going to this well. There is a tree beside the well where people leave offerings of money, medals and other things.

People come for miles to pray at this Well. When the monks were leaving the Killeigh monastery they are said to have dropped seven bells, and seven wells sprang up where they fell. There is a tradition that the seven bells ring every Christmas Eve night at twelve o'clock.

The water is always clean and pure in this well. It is used for household use. Once there was a rich Protestant living in Killeigh who owned the well field. He closed up the well, but a well sprang up in his drawing room and destroyed much of his furniture. The Protestant became alarmed at this and opened the well again. After this the well disappeared out of his drawing room. He never interfered with the Blessed well again. Once there was a tree beside this well which cured warts but it was blown down. There is another well in Killeigh also, called Fr Kinsella's well who was a Parish Priest in Killeigh. The water is used for drinking. The well is covered with a flat stone.''