Secret well Loughcrew Cairns

This will be the first of many blog posts I will upload to my site. I have made many discoveries at the Loughcrew Cairns over the past 12 month’s which I will share with all my readers and followers. My first find was a Secret well hidden below Cairn L at Loughcrew Cairns. To date I have found three wells hidden throughout the 3 peaks at Slibh Na Cailli, this particular well is different as its underground where as the other two wells I found are above ground. The amazing thing about these finds is that their is a well located on each peak a short distance from each set of cairns, and all wells found supply fresh drinking water. After finding the first well I gave very little thought to it, but after finding three of them and all on different peaks I had to question why each set of burial tombs would need fresh drinking water.

I believe that this well below Cairn L is less than 500 years old due to its location and structure. But I believe the well located below Cairn T is Much Older and on par with the secret well on Patrickstown Peak. Having researched this intensely reading book after book and searching the internet I don’t believe these Secret wells scattered throughout the Loughcrew Cairns were present when the tombs where built. Instead I believe they were built during the battle of Patrickstown, were the Plunketts of Meath defeated the O’Reilly’s around 1590-1600. This story was fascinating to me as a local I had never heard of this story before and if I get time I will happily post my findings here, so getting back to the wells I believe the wells were made to assist the soldiers and horses during the battle of Patrickstown. This victory is still marked to this day when crossing over Patrickstown hilltop were a memorial statue of St Oliver Plunkett is located to mark and remind of the great victory here for the Plunkett family. If I find any more secret wells at Loughcrew I’ll keep everyone posted.