Holy War at Toberona (Tobar Eonain)
This is my impression of the holy well at Toberona Dundalk.
It is situated north of the town on the roadside close to Toberona Bridge.
St. John the Baptist or Naomh Eonain is the patron saint of Castletown.
Crowds visited the holy well on the 24th of June, his feast day where a patrun or pilgrimage was held. It was reported that “ the well gushed forth suddenly, covering the meadow on which it stands with water several feet deep in a few minutes.”
It was also a festive occasion and competitions were held for poets, musicians and singers. Unfortunately this religious celebration became marred by faction fights. In 1744, a visitor reported that the people “pray, eat, drink and get drunk.. and concludes with broken heads and sore limbs”!
Capt. Picken Tipping, the local landowner, had the patrun banned but this was overturned when the local Dundalk breweries objected! It is believed that at one time the well was much closer to the Castle but Capt. Tipping had the water piped towards the river to discourage the crowds gathering near his home
Eventually in 1827 the patrun was suppressed by the local priests.
Info source: http://www.stlouisdundalk.ie/oldcastletownproject/river.html
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