Holy wells have been a feature of the religion of the Irish people for
longer than records have existed, and while pilgrimages to them are not
as common as in the last centuries, many wells are still visited,
particularly on the Saints' or 'Pattern' Days, and even now new wells
occasionally appear.
In this survey Dr Patrick Logan, author of The Old Gods, Irish
Country Cures and Fair Day: The Story of Irish Fairs and Markets,
describes many of those wells that are still visited, detailing the
features of the pilgrimage and the benefits obtained, together with the
legends attached to the wells, the saints they are dedicated to and
their Pattern Days, the sites, trees and stones associated with them,
and fish that some of them have; he also gives information about the
holy islands that have wells.