Dispute closes famous holy well

MILLSTREET’S famous Tubrid Well, which draws hundreds of pilgrims on busy summer Sundays, is closed to the public due to a dispute between the county council and the landowner.

Tubrid Well is the largest spring well in Ireland. Its name in Irish is Tobar Ide, meaning the well of St Ita, and generations of the faithful have believed that its waters have healing powers.

The land on which it sits has been owned by James O’Sullivan’s family for generations, and James’ father Matthew was one of the founders of the Tubrid Well Committee, the members of which maintain the well and grotto voluntarily.

Back in 1983, Matthew O’Sullivan signed an agreement with Cork County Council which, for a one-off payment, allowed it to build a pumphouse to extract water and also gave it a legal right of way along the 450-yard road to the water supply.

The council takes 500,000 gallons of water a day from the well.

The agreement notes that “the council will provide a permanent surface on the access road as part of the works to connect with Millstreet water supply,” and also that “the council will provide extra parking areas outside the new compound for the use of patrons of Tubrid Well.”