St Gileon's Well

transcribed at

St Gileon's Well  [duchas:4378717]

There is what is locally believed to be a Holy Well situated in the Parish of Knockanore in West Waterford. It is called St Gileon's Well. It lies at a distance of about three quarters of a mile from the present Church, and of probably a mile from the nearest point of the Blackwater. A plot of uncultivated land about an acre in extent surrounds it, and a tangle of bracken and coarse vegetation marks the course of its outlet to where the latter crosses the road fifteen or twenty yards away. The well itself [?] right up to the fence, and the little streamlet runs parallel to the road. There is a tradition that a church formerly catered for the spiritual needs of a more densely populated district than now exists at a distance of about a quarter of a mile or so, but, if this be true, the materials of which it was built, must be of a very perishable type for no trace of its existence now remains. It may have belonged to the pre-Catholic-Belief-Bill-days.
There is no evidence of tree, or bush, or of

St Gileon's Well  [duchas:4378728]

a cairn of stones, there is no protecting wall around the well, nor is there any evidence other than rather faint local tradition of rounds having been paid there. 
It has never gone by any other name than that given above.
Since writing above I have discovered that there was a Church and Parochial House in the townland upon which the well stands. A Father Spratt was P.P. and he had a curate whose name cannot be ascertained.
An annual pattern used to be held but further information about it is not available. 
The well is not now frequented. It would appear that it was for the cure of ailments it was visited in olden days. People within living memory have used the water for ordinary domestic purposes. Rounds were made there but there is no information as to what prayers were said. The water applied to the eyes was said to cure those that were sore, and to the face said to be a preventative against [illness?]. The water used also be carried away in bottles and would remain good for a whole year.
It is impossible to ascertain if offerings were made after the completion of the customary ritual.

St Gileon's Well  [duchas:4378739]

In front of the well is a large round stone with a good size depression upon its upper surface. Local tradition says that St. Gileon was one day passing along, hungry and thirsty and that he stopped down to drink from the well and let the print of his knee on the stone. Local tradition also says that a little trout used to swim around in the well before sunrise and that anyone who said a round of the beads and saw the trout while doing so would be cured of sickness.
The following anecdote regarding above trout is worth noting. It was told by Miss Mary [?iffir], Ballinatray Commons Youghath about ten years ago when she, who is now dead (RIP) was about 75 years of age. A person stayed minding the house in the vicinity of the well, while the rest of the family of that house were at mass. She was preparing the dinner and noticed that she had no water. She got a bucket, went to the Holy Well and brought in a bucket of water, poured it on top of the potatoes, covered the water and commenced to boil them. But no matter what amount of fire she used the potatoes did not commence to boil. After an extra long time she suspected that something was wrong. So she raised the lid of the pot and there she saw on the top

St Gileon's Well  [duchas:4378750]

of the potatoes, a trout and she noticed that the water was still cold. She returned the trout which was alive to the well and she found no difficulty in boiling the potatoes. The trout was never after seen in the well.