This tiny glass vial contains water carefully collected from Saint Patrick’s Holy Well in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, Ireland. Saint Patrick’s well in Clonmel is one of the largest - if not THE largest of all holy wells in all of Ireland. It is thought that Saint Patrick passed through here and may have used this place to bathe or to baptize. Holy Wells in Ireland hold a unique role as symbols of the Irish culture and a connection with the natural environment. Ireland is home to more than 3,000 holy wells, each attached to their own saints, legends, and healing properties. The holy well waters of Ireland have always been and are still being collected and used for its healing powers, blessings, protection and cures; they are said to cure anything from a headache to mental illness. These holy wells have been sites of worship and prayer for centuries and are still visited today by those who seek the miraculous cures offered by the waters. Holy wells are places of popular devotion where people come to pray and leave simple offerings. Even before the coming of Christianity, the wells were known as sacred sites to those who worshiped pagan gods. They were then blessed and consecrated by the early saints of Ireland, such as Saint Patrick. Thanks in part to Saint Patrick, one doesn't have to go very far in modern-day Ireland to find a church but in the saint’s time, Patrick would have had to use the abundant wells and streams that populated the Irish countryside to baptize his converts, giving way to what we know today as Irish holy wells.
