Local Area History

Lady’s Well

Lady’s Well is a popular place of pilgrimage every year on August the 15th.
After the first attack on Athenry by the Irish on 15th August 1249, Our Lady is said to have appeared to a wounded soldier as he was being carried away from the battlefield.
Every year for the past 750 years, people have gathered from Athenry parish and the surrounding areas to meet at “The Well”, to be with their families and to keep contact with old friends.
The waters of the Well remind us that our pilgrim journey begins at Baptism. The tree that shadows the setting is a symbol of the Christian call to grow in holiness by raising our hearts to God and reaching out our hands to care for people.

The Medieval Pieta

Tis 14th century carving is set in the outer wall of the Well. The mother holds the body of the dead Christ – not cradled in her arms as in the continental style, but in an almost upright position against her body.
The carving has been damaged by erosion, though there is a tradition that it was defaced by Cromwellian soldiers.