The well in the woods
Tobar Éanna, or St Enda’s Well, lies in Barna Woods near Galway. It is a small, easily missed holy well in the trees. The well is named for St Enda (Naomh Éanna) and is associated with local devotional traditions.
Enda is the patron saint of the Aran Islands. A warrior-prince before his conversion, he gave up the sword and founded a monastery on Inis Mór, and this spring is remembered as one of his resting places on the way out to Aran. That is the tradition, not the manuscript record, as the medieval Lives do not mention the well, but it is the story the place has carried for generations.
The turas and the cures
In local tradition the water was credited with easing ailments of the eyes and ears, and pilgrims bathed their eyes and tied cloths to the bushes around the well. The turas, or rounding, was traditionally walked around the well with prayers, leaving a small offering such as a coin, a pin or a scrap of cloth. If you visit, leave any offerings in place and the well as you find it.
Visiting
This is a short stop rather than a half-day out, and the sensible plan is to fold it into a walk in Barna Woods. Follow the woodland paths and local signs. Keep away from slippery stones and water margins. Check Visit Galway for current information before you go. There is nothing to pay.
From the woods it is a short way on to the coast and the open view across Galway Bay.