The Lost Wells of Creggan: Sacred Springs and Forgotten Cures
Hidden beneath moss, hedgerow, or pasture, the old wells of the Creggan region remain some of the most quietly powerful symbols of the area’s ancient history. These were once places of devotion, healing, and community gathering — springs of both water and meaning. Though many have dried up or been overtaken by brambles, they live on in memory and in the names of the land itself.
For centuries, wells were more than practical sources of water; they were places where the sacred met the everyday. People would travel to them on specific feast days, tie rags or ribbons to nearby trees, recite prayers, or take home small bottles of water believed to cure ailments. Some wells were associated with saints, others with miracles, and many with cures for sore eyes, warts, or livestock troubles. These were spiritual traditions carried quietly through times of hardship and suppression, especially during the Penal era, when Catholic worship was forced into the landscape.
In this post, we explore a few of the wells known to have existed in or around the Creggan area, and reflect on what their survival — or disappearance — tells us about the intersection of land, belief, and memory.