Holy wells and rag trees: ‘Whether it’s the water or the peace, there is something magic about this place’
People have been visiting Gleann na nGealt in West Kerry for centuries as a cure for mental illness – ahead of a new TG4 documentary, a local farmer explains how beliefs have changed over the years
West Kerry sheep farmer Bridget O’Connor at the ancient well Tobar na nGealt near her home
In Gleann na nGealt or ‘The Valley of the Mad’ in West Kerry, a path has been worn by people walking through it for hundreds of years to visit Tobar na nGealt — an ancient well with crystal-clear water that is believed to cure mental illnesses.
The well is down the end of the narrow road leading up to Brigid O’Connor’s home near Camp, outside Dingle, and her 133ac hill farm, which has been in her family for five generations. She now minds 100 sheep, leads shepherd walks through the farm and occasionally answers to visitors to the well who have been drawn by the folklore behind it or are in search of a miracle cure.
