Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Even before the time of the Celts, Ireland was believed to be a land of power that "welled up" from the earth in the form of bubbling springs and healing waters. The myths and rituals surrounding these holy wells have been modified through the centuries as pre-Celtic and Celtic rituals blended with Christian traditions to form the combination of rites performed at these sites today. Drawing on fifteen years of fieldwork and archival research, conversations with local informants, and scrutiny of dozens of maps ancient and modern, the Brennemans have written the first study of these wells that offers an in-depth interpretation of their symbolism and their mythological and ritual origins. More than two dozen photographs and a map of the wells cited in the text portray the authors' journey throughout Ireland to recover the archaic patterns that link past and present, pagan and Christian. Some of the wells photographed in the early years of their research have become inactive, and some Celtic practices have disappeared, leaving these photographs, in some instances, the only remaining record. Enhancing the photographs and research are numerous tales about trees at the wells that when cut will not burn, stones associated with the wells that when removed always return, and trout living in the wells that when caught cannot be cooked. Drawing largely on the work of historian of religions Mircea Eliade in interpreting these phenomena, the Brennemans have developed an original concept, the "loric", that is used to identify a particular form of power tied to and arising from a specific locality. They then contrast the loric with the "sacred", a universalizing and world-creating power. Complementingthis theoretical treatment are insights into the influence of St. Patrick and the Christian symbolism at the wells.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

An Irish maiden, on the eve of her wedding, peers into a spring and sees a golden trout, which she describes as "a saint, perhaps." Thus begins this strange and intriguing book. Everyone already knows Ireland as a land of myths, tragedies, poets, romantics, and saints. Less recognized are the hundreds of holy wells that dot its verdant landscape. The Brennemans (Univ. of Vermont) have been studying and visiting these sites for more than 15 years. They traced patterns beyond any historical record, across the decades of Christian conversion, and through modern changes. Using religious analyses drawn from Mircea Eliade, they contrast sacred expanding power with what they call loric power, that is, the lore of a deliberately local, self-contained, cozy place. Some characteristics are shared, such as conjunctions of wells, rocks, and solitary trees. There are typical rituals for washing or drinking, and for perambulating the waters. Healings are frequently reported, but usually only for area residents. Folk belief mingles with Catholic creed. This book is not an inventory, or systematic, or an archaeological study, but a pioneering impressionistic report that is fun to read. General readers, undergraduates. E. J. Kealey; College of the Holy Cross