Ballinacoola Booklet

Our Journey: Restoring the Holy Well at Ballinacoola

Words by the WWETB Women’s Group, Bunclody

Facilitated and Compiled by Helen Flanagan (Supported by Wexford County Council in partnership with Artlinks)

Photos by Sally Murphy, Helen Flanagan, Michael Murphy

This book was made to document our journey restoring the Holy Well at Ballinacoola. The Well will be blessed on the 14th of August 2022 by Bishop Ger Nash.

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Introduction This book was made to document our journey restoring the Holy Well at Ballinacoola. The idea of restoring this Holy Well came about from the WWETB Women’s Group in Bunclody. The group is made up of twenty-four inspirational women from age sixteen upwards. The group has been facilitated

by Sally Murphy and Ceiline Cash for the past four years and has grown enormously.

Community education is the aim of this group.

This wonderful group of women has grown in confidence, gained knowledge and skills throughout the past four years. It is very evident that these women have flourished and have been empowered to create change. It’s truly amazing as facilitators to watch this group grow from a seed, to a beautiful flower.

We received funding from SETU to restore the Holy Well at Ballinacoola. We were supported by WWETB and SETU throughout the project. We chose this Well because it’s closest to Bunclody and has been in a tradition in our families for years.

Religion is a huge part of our group and is very much respected by all involved.

The Well will be blessed on the 14th of August 2022

by Bishop Ger Nash.

3

We started restoring this well in April 2022. All in all, it took five months of tireless work from men, women and children, young and old.

We are so proud of the people involved in helping us restore this Well back to its former glory.

This journey has been inspirational for everyone involved in restoring the Well and donating, their time, skills and materials, to make it possible. This has been a memorable summer that will live on. This project took a lot of dedication and we always hoped for good weather.

We are so happy that Bishop Ger Nash will bless this Well on the 14th of August 2022 and hopefully his attendance will bring more people back to this wonderful little place that is close to our hearts.

The Holy Well at Ballinacoola is in the parish of about four We are so happy to haveBallindaggin, the opportunity to miles makefrom a Bunclody. accessed down a long lane from the differenceThe to Well this isWell. main road. The lane is bordered by a hedge full of honeysuckle, The feedback from the landowners andfoxglove locals and has wild rose.

been immense and we have a sense of pride in the group we facilitate and also in the volunteers, and it has been a privilege to come back and restore this place that has been important to families for generations.

We loved listening to the different stories and chatting to the different people we met during the restoration of the Well. We started as a group but 32

4

About half way down the path now we are a team.narrows We enjoyed each other’s into a small company, we appreciated each lane withother’s granite ideas and andtea quartz stonetogether. choices, and the cups of we had walls.

In the spring Everyone was on the same page and wanted the Well the walls are full of to look as beautiful as we all imagined. primrose and wild strawberries in the We are so thankful for the support that we received summer.

from everyone involved and also SETU, WWETB, the Landowners and Helen Flanagan for joining us on the journey and helping us create this book, to Anne Farrell for the valuable information on the Well, to all the women in the group who made it possible and to atwith Mount Mellory forwas showing “I remember yearsthe agostaff I went Nanny.

The lane full of us a lovely strawberries, the hedges were full of strawberries. day.They were tiny ones and big ones.”

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It’s not recorded on any maps, except for a mention on 1888 OSI map, it’s not a protected monument and there’s not much written about it. You’d never know the Well was there except for an old sign by the road that reads, “The Blessed Well.”

“There is a blessed well Ballincoola in the Parish of Ballindaggin. It is on the lands of the late James MacEvoy. This well was blessed by MacEvoy’s cousin who was an American priest, Fr. O Neill..The Well is about a half a mile from the public road and it is situated in the corner of the Ban Field. This built up and above the surface of the water is a shelf on which there are “I see a lot of rose petals here. These women could be prayerbooks roses, beads, and a crucifix. they will all grow into roses.” There is also a statue of the Blessed Virgin on the shelf. People at the present time come to this Well and drink the water. The water is supposed to cure all diseases and sickness. A boy named O Neill who lived in Rossard in the locality was cured at this Well.

He was a cripple and carried crutches.

One of the crutches is still near the well.” - Teresa Hughes, Bolabeg 1933

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The Well is accessed over a bridge over a stream and through a gate. To the right of the gate there’s a large, flat piece of stone resting on a built-up mound of stones, it looks not unlike an Thanks to altar or a mass rock.

Not many people know about the Well, but, for those that do it is a special place of healing and peace.

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Memories “It gets us out and about, it gets us telling stories, it’s good for mental health.”

“I look forward to it. I am delighted to go to it. I think it’s very good that you can get together every week.

It’s a safe space. It’s why we’re dedicated to the group.”

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“I remember years ago my sister-in-law told me about the Well.

She said it’s very peaceful. When I went, I met an old man down there, he told me about when he was going to get a triple bypass and he came to the Well. He put his faith in our lady and he never looked back. He had faith in the Well.”

“I used to go a good bit as a child. I feel calm when I go there, I feel peaceful.”

“I find the time just flies.

The time is endless down there.

You say you’re going down there for an hour and it disappears.”

“There are four pregnant women in this group. Four babies have been born since we started this project – two boys and two “When yougirls. go there you forget your stresses.”

We hope they will turn to education, that they’ll keep the faith going, that they’ll be inspired by their mothers to be good “I found when I got there theand peace. people look after the Well.”

If you had anything on your mind when you went there, it would be gone. The feeling was lovely. I enjoyed every bit of it when I was a child. You always felt Our Lady was there.”

“People are frightened these days.

Our Lady is the best thing you can turn to.

Our Lady is beautiful.”

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“I was delighted to “We workused with to thegowomen’s group to put to get stones and we down there as children together this book, would and to compare help themour make the We paper forto theget rushes to get our stones. used cover. Sally and Celine areto two inspirational granny make St. Brigit’swomen. crosses They and baby rattlers. You put have been great mentors to me andinI’ve the little stones thelearned rattlers.”so much from them and I’m thankful they invited me to come on this journey with them.”

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“We did it because we went back to college.

We could see how society was structured that there were issues.

We studied sociology and the more we became empowered the more we wanted the other women to be empowered.”

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“We had the opportunity from Helen to make paper for the very first time in our lives. We used recycledReligion paper from WWETB and water from the well at Mount Mellory to make this paper.”

“This paper is very special to us as it signifies a huge part of our culture and includes Catholic religion which is very near to our hearts.

Everyone helped out each other, there was a lot of teamwork involved and I feel like this will be a lifelong memory for everyone involved.”

24

12

“Each person’s paper is individualised. Each person has added their own medals, crosses. For each person their paper is like a relic, it’ll be cherished in their homes for the rest of their lives.”

“When it comes to this group, religion is important.”

“My son was three or four months old at the time. I remember the crowds; it was around August. My son was born in April.

Going down, everyone would be sitting around on the grass. It was very quiet, peaceful. Even though there was loads of people it was peaceful. When we came back to live here, we’d only visit is community education.” every now again, “This but now since COVID we’ve been coming back.”

“Me growing up “Community as a child I was always nervous it, because education creates at change.

It meets people where of the bulls in thethey field.” are at. It social. If you have a curriculum like school and you have disadvantaged backgrounds, oppressed groups they “We couldn’t waitwon’t to gethave up to well.access. It meets people where they are at, thethe same You’d go to the if you have that you have it all. We understood that education river, and pick can still be brought through talking, through cooking, through up a stone. I’d having fun. Community education is the most powerful way of changing society.” imagine every stone I’d pick up was the Virgin Mary.”

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“We went on the trip to Mount Mellory on the 23rd of April. It was an opportunity to go there. It was a day of retreat. We went “Since COVID people have started going back out to buy the statues to Holy Wells. That’s what Our Lady wants. To and we got the Well bring people back to this Well.” water to make the paper (for this book) there.”

“We found peace there. That’s what people go to Mount Mellory for, to find peace.”

“We knew that Our Lady wanted us to restore the Well. It was like a calling. We knocked on doors and went around the community, up and down lanes and then we finally found the landowners and got permission to go ahead. They were both happy that we were restoring the Well and bringing it back to its former glory.”

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Our Group Restoring the Well

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“Looking back on it now, we didn’t funnel it down.

“For the youngest the Weinthought we were group, five and ten. going to buy two statues They helped out.and They do a bit of painting.

We were shocked when raked, they painted, wethey saw the amount of they really helped, work that needed to be were very good.”done just to get access to the Well. We needed to clear half a mile of overgrowth before we even go to the Well.”

“You’re not going to do this on your own, as women. You’d need some help”

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“Good hearted people who supported the project donated flowers, materials, benches. A lot of our furniture is recycled from old wood and looks so beautiful now.”

“Where there’s a Well, there’s a way.”

“We didn’t think it would be so hard. It’s a learning going forward in life, you have to think around an issue. We didn’t think it was going to be so difficult. We’re glad we did this.”

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“People learned and never found knew skills they “People learned and found skills they they never had” knew they had”

“We were “We were determined. We determined. We kept going.” kept going.”

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never doneofit the withmen. the help “We would have“We neverwould done have it with the help We of the men. We would never have had the skills or the strength.

Without the would never have had the skills or the strength. Without the men, they theythey cut themselves, they bruised men, they volunteered, theyvolunteered, cut themselves, bruised themselves, they did it on the hottest days of the summer. themselves, they did it on the hottest days of the summer.

Everyone was happy.

They never gave up.”

Everyone was happy. They never gave up.”

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“Looking back on it now, we didn’t funnel it down.

“For the youngest in the We thought we were group, five and ten. going to buy two statues They helped out. They and do a bit of painting.

We were shocked raked, when they painted, we saw the amount of really helped, they they work that needed to be wereto very good.” done just to get access the Well. We needed to clear half a mile of overgrowth before we even go to the Well.”

“You’re not going to do this on your own, as women. You’d need some help”

16

20

“Good hearted people who supported the project donated flowers, materials, benches. A lot of our furniture is recycled from old wood and looks so beautiful now.”

“Where there’s a Well, there’s a way.”

“We didn’t think it would be so hard. It’s a learning going forward in life, you have to think around an issue. We didn’t think it was going to be so difficult. We’re glad we did this.”

21

17

“We went on the trip to Mount Mellory on the 23rd of April. It was an opportunity to go there. It was a day of retreat.

We went “Since COVID people have started going back out toThat’s buy thewhat statues to Holy Wells.

Our Lady wants. To and we got the Well bring people back to this Well.” water to make the paper (for this book) there.”

“We found peace there. That’s what people go to Mount Mellory for, to find peace.”

“We knew that Our Lady wanted us to restore the Well. It was like a calling. We knocked on doors and went around the community, up and down lanes and then we finally found the landowners and got permission to go ahead. They were both happy that we were restoring the Well and bringing it back to its former glory.”

14

22

Our Group Restoring the Well

23

15

“We had the opportunity from Helen to make paper for the Religion very first time in our lives. We used recycled paper from WWETB and water from the well at Mount Mellory to make this paper.”

“This paper is very special to us as it signifies a huge part of our culture and includes Catholic religion which is very near to our hearts.

Everyone helped out each other, there was a lot of teamwork involved and I feel like this will be a lifelong memory for everyone involved.”

12

24

“Each person’s paper is individualised. Each person has added their own medals, crosses. For each person their paper is like a relic, it’ll be cherished in their homes for the rest of their lives.”

“When it comes to this group, religion is important.”

“My son was three or four months old at the time. I remember the crowds; it was around August. My son was born in April.

Going down, everyone would be sitting around on the grass. It was very quiet, peaceful. Even though there was loads of people it was peaceful. When we came back to live here, we’d only visit “This is community education.” every now again, but now since COVID we’ve been coming back.”

“Me growing as a child I waspeople alwayswhere nervous at it, because “Community education createsup change.

It meets of the bullshave in the field.” they are at. It social.

If you a curriculum like school and you have disadvantaged backgrounds, oppressed groups they “Weaccess. couldn’t wait topeople get upwhere to thethey well.are at, won’t have the same It meets if you have that you havegoitto all.the We understood that education You’d can still be brought through talking, through cooking, through river, and pick having fun. Community education is the most powerful way of up a stone. I’d changing society.” imagine every stone I’d pick up was the Virgin Mary.”

25

13

“I was delighted to work with the women’s “We used to go down there as children to get stones and we group to put together andgettorushes help them would compare our stones.this Webook, used to to getmake our the paper for the cover.

Sally and Celine are rattlers. two inspirational granny to make St. Brigit’s crosses and baby You put women. They been great mentors to me and I’ve learned so much from the little stones in have the rattlers.” them and I’m thankful they invited me to come on this journey with them.”

10

26

“We did it because we went back to college.

We could see how society was structured that there were issues.

We studied sociology and the more we became empowered the more we wanted the other women to be empowered.”

27

11

“It gets us out and about, it gets us telling stories, it’s good for mental health.”

“I look forward to it. I am delighted to go to it. I think it’s very good that you can get together every week.

It’s a safe space. It’s why we’re dedicated to the group.”

28

“I remember years ago my sister-in-law told me about the Well.

She said it’s very peaceful. When I went, I met an old man down there, he told me about when he was going to get a triple bypass and he came to the Well. He put his faith in our lady and he never looked back. He had faith in the Well.”

“I used to go a good bit as a child. I feel calm when I go there, I feel peaceful.”

“I find the time just flies.

The time is endless down there.

You say you’re going down there for an hour and it “There are four pregnant women in this disappears.” group. Four babies have been born since we started this project – two boys and two “When you go there forget your girls. We hope they will turn to education, thatyou they’ll keep thestresses.” faith going, that they’ll be inspired by their mothers to be good “I after foundthe when I got there the peace. people and look Well.”

If you had anything on your mind when you went there, it would be gone. The feeling was lovely. I enjoyed every bit of it when I was a child. You always felt Our Lady was there.”

“People are frightened these days.

Our Lady is the best thing you can turn to.

Our Lady is beautiful.”

29

9

It’s not recorded on any maps, except for a mention on 1888 OSI map, it’s not a protected monument and there’s not much written about it. You’d never know the Well was there except for an old sign by the road that reads, “The Blessed Well.”

“There is a blessed well Ballincoola in the Parish of Ballindaggin. It is on the lands of the late James MacEvoy. This well was blessed by MacEvoy’s cousin who was an American priest, Fr. O Neill..The Well is about a half a mile from the public road and it is situated in the corner of the Ban Field. This built up and above the surface of the water is a shelf on which there are “I see a lot beads, of roseprayerbooks petals here.and These women could be roses, a crucifix.

There is also statue of into the Blessed they willaall grow roses.”

Virgin on the shelf. People at the present time come to this Well and drink the water. The water is supposed to cure all diseases and sickness. A boy named O Neill who lived in Rossard in the locality was cured at this Well.

He was a cripple and carried crutches.

One of the crutches is still near the well.” - Teresa Hughes, Bolabeg 1933

6

30

The Well is accessed over a bridge over a stream and through a gate. To the right of the gate there’s a large, flat piece of stone resting on a built-up mound of stones, it looks not unlike an torock. altarThanks or a mass

Not many people know about the Well, but, for those that do it is a special place of healing and peace.

31

7

We started restoring this well in April 2022. All in all, it took five months of tireless work from men, women and children, young and old.

We are so proud of the people involved in helping us restore this Well back to its former glory.

This journey has been inspirational for everyone involved in restoring the Well and donating, their time, skills and materials, to make it possible. This has been a memorable summer that will live on. This project took a lot of dedication and we always hoped for good weather.

We are so happy that Bishop Ger Nash will bless this Well on the 14th of August 2022 and hopefully his attendance will bring more people back to this wonderful little place that is close to our hearts.

We are so happy to have the opportunity to make a difference to this Well.

The feedback from the landowners and locals has been immense and we have a sense of pride in the group we facilitate and also in the volunteers, and it has been a privilege to come back and restore this place that has been important to families for generations.

We loved listening to the different stories and chatting to the different people we met during the restoration of the Well. We started as a group but 32

About half way down the path now we are a team. We enjoyed each other’s narrows into a small company, we appreciated each other’s ideas and lane with granite and quartz stone choices, and the cups of tea we had together. walls.

Everyone was on the same page and wanted the Well In the spring the walls are full of to look as beautiful as we all imagined. primrose and wild strawberries in the We are so thankful for the support that we received summer.

from everyone involved and also SETU, WWETB, the Landowners and Helen Flanagan for joining us on the journey and helping us create this book, to Anne Farrell for the valuable information on the Well, to all the women in the group who made it possible and to the staff at “I Mount Mellory usNanny. a lovely remember years for agoshowing I went with The lane was full of strawberries, the hedges were full of strawberries. They were day. tiny ones and big ones.”

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