May dew as a beauty treatment and holy wells for cures — superstitions and ancient beliefs

Our ancestors went out before sunrise with bottles and jars to collect the dew from the grass. 

Holy wells across Ireland were traditionally visited for cures, protections, wisdom or in the hope of favours being granted. Pictured: Tobarnault Holy Well, County Sligo

With May wildflowers in bloom, readers have been in touch about nature and all its glory in what is many people’s favourite time of year.

Something that’s become very obvious in recent weeks is how nature catches up and recovers quickly from setbacks. In recent columns, we alluded to cold weather stunting growth, but, lo and behold, higher temperatures towards the end of April saw a rapid change… the greening of Ireland.