St Faithleach's Well

A spring well called Tobar Faithleach is to be found one mile west of Ballyleague. For over 14 centuries this well has had the name of the Saint who first blessed it and one of the brothers who founded Cloontuskert Abbey. It has provided a never- failing supply of fresh water for the people of the locality. 

The well has always been a symbol of ' water springing up to life everlasting'. About the year 1765 a Mass House was erected close to the well. This was a simple oblong thatched building 60 feet long and 20 feet wide. Its foundation may still be traced. People in the neighbourhood threshed corn in it during the weekdays and on Saturdays they brushed it up for Divine Service each Sunday. On December 5th 1837 a storm blew the roof off the church and it was never repaired.

A local tradition states that the present position of the well is not the original one, which was situated 50 yards west of it. It also tells us that a woman threw a diseased dog into the old well which dried up immediately and re-appeared in its present position. The local people maintain that water taken from this well before sunrise is a certain cure for an upset stomach or a severe headache. 

Today the well is still used regularly by people far and wide. The well is situated along the shore of Lough Ree on the Shannon River.