St Odhran's Well

Today is the pattern day of St. Odhran of Latteragh. His pattern takes place today at St. Odhran's well near Latteragh in Co. Tipperary. Incorrectly I previously worte that St. Odhran was one of "The Twelve Apostles of Ireland" who went with St. Columcille to found the monastery on Iona off the coast of Scotland. I wrote about this here.

I've since found some more interesting folklore about the well in the Schools Manuscipts including St Medran using his breath to light a candle, St Odhran's well springing up where a boy disappeared, the "cures" that the stones at the well can perform and of course a magic trout within the well itself.
From duchas.ie
"About the beginning of the sixth century two holy men Saint Odhran and Saint Medran lived at Latteragh in the parish of Templederry. Believing that it would be pleasing to God to spread his Gospel to places where it was not known, they set out to visit Saint Kieran at Kilkenny probably to get his advice as to where and how they should start their missionary labours. Upon reaching Kilkenny Saint Medran expressed a desire to remain with Saint Kieran. Odhran reminded him of the object of their visit Saint Kieran was appealed to to decide the matter, and he said let God decide. If Medrans breath could light a taper it was to be a sign he was to remain with Saint Kieran and that Odhran was to return to Latteragh. Upon Medran breathing on the taper it was lighted so Medran remained and Odhran returned to Latteragh where for nearly half a century he spread the light of faith and learning, nearly three thousand pupils attended the school conducted by the monks.
This monastery was in existence until confiscated by the Normans.
Local tradition has many tales concerning Saint Odhran and his monastery. One is that sometime after his return to Latteragh from Kilkenny at the request of Saint Kieran he and his monks had occasion to again visit Saint Kieran probably for some ecclesiastical conference. Who was in charge of the monastery in their absence is not stated but a young boy was left to protect their corn from the birds. Upon the return of Saint Odhran and his monks they found that he had gathered all the birds into a house. The monks were annoyed at this and started questioning him instead of answering he fled from there and passing between two hills near the monastery he suddenly faded away and disappeared. On the spot where he was last seen a well sprung up which became known as Saint Odhran's holy well. This well is in existence yet and people go to pray there on the 15th August every year. It is about a foot and a half in depth and four feet in diameter, circular in shape and line with stones. Tradition has it that is the home of a magic trout that is sometimes seen by a privileged few. Once a man from the neighbourhood upon seeing the trout prodded and ill treated him. Within a week he died from mysterious disease. Six or stones of medium sizes are at the very brink around this well they are supposed to be there from the days of Saint Odhran and three possess a cure. One cures a toothache, another a pain in the head and another a pain in the stomach. Local people know the appropriate stone to use. The cure is affected as follows:- so many rounds of the well and certain prayers are to be said after which the appropriate stone is applied to the part to be cured and then returend to its place.
The above has been collected by Willie Shanahan of Coolderry who got it from his mother whose maiden name was Gleeson and whose people have been interred inside Latteragh abbey for the last five or six hundred years been the oldest family in the district."
http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922139/4856028

Edit 

It looks as though I was incorrect, there are in fact a number of different St. Odhran according to 

The Odhran of Latteragh, Odhran of Iona & Odhran of Waterford.

A Dictionary of Irish Saints

Pg 519 

Odhrán Maighistir, 'master', of Latteragh (Leitreacha Odhráin), barony of Upper Ormond, Co. Tipperary. Easily the best known of he saints of this name, Odhrán (anglicized Oran and Otteran)) son of Mac Raith was attached to the Ui Dhaighre of Múscraighe Tíre, whose lands straddled the two baronies of Ormond. Seanán of Scattery also belonged to the Múscraighe, and this may explain why a member of his household named Odhrán is said to have been with his brother Meadhrán, Odhrán Maighister is supposed to have visited Ciarán at Seirkieran with a view to making a pilgrimage, only to be told that, though his brother should remain, he was fated to return to his place of resurrection at Latteragh. In the same passage, mention is made both of an otherwise unattested Life of the saint and of his part in the translation of the remains of Colum of Terryglass to Inishcaltra, elsewhere commemorated in quatrains attributed to Bréanainn.

Odhrán is said to have acted with Mac Cuilinn of Lusk as an emissary to Ciarán of Clonmacnoise, to let the latter know that the saints of Ireland were under his authority. He is also reputed to have placed a curse on Cormac son of Coichean of the Dál gCais at a place called Rinn Arda Odhráin on Lough Derg because of the dynast's refusal to grant his people, the Múscraighe's three seanóirí, the saint is likely to be intended in the dedication of a holy well to Oran at Ahaveheen in the Limerick parish of Cloncrew, just outside the later cantred of Muscridonegan. Odhrán was remembered on two days, 2 and 26/27 October, the latter of which - observed at Latteragh - was shared with namesakes on Iona and Killotteran in Waterford. 

Odhrán of Iona, Scotland. Described in some late sources as abbot of Iona, Odhrán son of Ainghin is said to have belonged to the same branch of the Ceinéal Conaill as his later colleague Doirbhéan. In reality he was a priest on Iona, and probably because the local cemetery (Reilig Odhráin) was named after him, he became the subject of a story suggesting that, with a view to consecrating the island, he had volunteered to become the first person interred on it. His feastday of 27 October also belonged to his namesakes at Latteragh (Tipperary) and Killotteran (Waterford) and, through confusion with the saint named Oireannán commemorated on the same day, he later became attached to the church of Teach Oireannáin, sometimes taken to be the Westmeath chuch of Tyfarnham. A cemetery dedicated to Odhrán 

St. Patrick's Rock, Cloneybrien, Portroe

Back in 2014 when I first came across the Rock Art at Lisheentyrone I thought it would be easy to find more. I surveyed the old 1840s OS maps online around the Portroe area and came across a feature called out as St. Patrick's Rock which I had never heard of up to that point.

When I clicked into the description of it on Archaeology.ie it was described as "natural depressions on surface of boulder known locally as the footprint of a greyhound".

I immediately thought this has to be unrecognised rock-art and visited as soon as I could. I was particularly optimistic as this rock is on the slope of a prehistoric hill-fort and there were two other unusual prehistoric features in the area (Graves of the Leinstermen & The Capstone of the King of Leinster).

Unfortunately as you can see from the photos the depression does indeed seem to be natural. There is also some recent graffiti on the rock.

Since then I found this bit of folklore on the rock.

From the Irish Tourism Association's Survey of Portroe (available to download here).

"Stone Laghtea Hill
It is said they were made by St. Patrick's mule & hound on the occasion on which he rested at the well in Cloneybrien.
On Commonage"

Its a stone I viewed in very strong light at the time and one I wouldn't mind another look at some time even just to see the modern graffiti on it.

Walk & Talk about Ancient rock carvings recently found in Portroe, Co. Tipperary

When: 26th August 2016 - 18.30 - 19.30
Where: Meet at Portroe National School, Portroe, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary

Details

"Ancient rock carvings recently found in Portroe, Co. Tipperary.- First of its kind discovered in Tipperary and place of “gatherings” for over 4,000 years."
This walk and talk departs from outside Portroe National School where we will walk through fields for approximately 800m to visit the megalithic complex of Lisheentyrone. Ground is typical agricultural land with uneven and muddy surfaces and so appropriate foot-wear is required. All attending the walk will be doing so at their own risk.
This complex includes a pair of standing stones, a bowl barrow and since 2014 a large horizontal stone panel of cup-marks. This is the first of its kind found in the mid-west region and all of Co. Tipperary. This rock-art, as it is known, dates to at least the bronze age or 4,000 years ago. It can be argued that it is of a similar tradition to the rock carvings on passage tombs such as Newgrange in Co. Meath. I will try and give a general outline of rock-art in Ireland, the interaction of this panel with its surroundings and also other instances that I was uncovered in North Tipperary. Lastly and most excitingly for me, where you find one example of rock-art there are often more to be found, so if everyone who attends keeps their eyes open when out and about in the locality, I am sure there is more of it out there to be found in the area. It is being held in conjunction with Ormond Historical Society & Portroe Gathering. Also our thanks to the landowners for the access to their lands.

Kilmore, Silvermines

When I read the folklore associated with Kilmore in the Schools Manuscripts I knew I would have to pay it a visit sometime.

How many opportunities do you get to visit a place where a man was brought back to life?

Folklore says it was St. Odhran who founded the monastery at Kilmore. It also says that it was the location of raising a man from the dead Lazarus style by St. Senan.
St. Senan is associated more with West Clare where he was born but he is noted as one of the "Twelve Apostles of Ireland" as was St. Odhran.
You would expect binging someone back from the dead would be a miracle that couldn't be topped. However St. Senan also rid Scattery Island in the Shannon Estuary of "The Cathach", a sea serpent like creature so it is debatable which is more impressive!
When he was a boy he also performed a miracle similar to Moses's parting of the red sea where a path opened across an estuary to allow him to bring back his cows.

Here is the folklore from the Schools Manuscripts

http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922147/4856392/5017172

"There was a miracle performed in Kilmore, it happened that a certain widows only son died and when he was being brought to the graveyard, the widow saw the two priests she ran to them and went on her knees and begged them to bring her son to life. St Senan took the body into a room in the monastery and prayed over it and behold the man came to life."

http://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922147/4856395/5017239

"Saint Odraín of Latteragh is the patron Saint of this parish.
He built a famous monastery in Latteragh about the year 500 A.D. on a level space on side of a hill.
Some time later he built another in Kilmore which means the big church, it was made of timber but later on it was made of stone, it is now in ruins.
There was a great miracle performed there by St. Sennon, he brought the son of a woman of that district to life."

For an area where a monastery was supposed to have been located there are very few crop-marks around it. It is the focus of four roads in the area so perhaps that is of some significance. The present ruined church is meant to have been built in the 18th Century. An information board at the graveyard says that the original church here was wooden and was replaced by a stone structure in 1000AD. It says the present structure operated as a Protestant church until 1820.  

Cappadine Standing Stone

Cappadine 2016

This is a small triangular standing stone which I visited back in 2006 just as the M7 motorway works were going on. Now if you known where it is you can spot it easily from the motorway itself. I recently visited it again because of a note I had made about possible cupmarks on the stones. There are some curious hollows and marks on them but unfortunately I think they are natural.

I love the view to the Silvermines / Keeper Hill Mountains. It looks to be the reason why they picked this location for the standing stone. I had also wondered about some kind of astronomical alignment but this is not a sector of the sky that the sun sets or rises in as it is too far north.

Cappadine 2006 with motorway works starting

Cappadine 2016

Cappadine 2006

From archaeology.ie

"Situated on an E-facing slope of rising ground in an upland area with a ringfort (TN025-06801) nearby to the W. A triangular-shaped conglomerate (H 1m; dims. 1m x 0.65m) orientated on an E-W axis with a smaller sandstone slab (H 0.6m; dims. 0.9m x 0.4m) immediately to the W protruding from the surface of the ground."

Two depressions in the smaller stone.