Clootie Well Ireland

An example of such desecration is the recent complete ruin of the well of st.

Clootie well ireland. Clootie wells are found in celtic nations scotland ireland and cornwall in england. Writing in his 1869 book of days robert chambers mentioned a well to the east of the current munlochy site called craigach well in avoch he describes the scene on the first sunday of may as like a fair with english scots and gaelic all spoken as the pilgrims made their offerings. The clootie well is a rather weird remnant of an ancient tradition once commonly found in scotland and ireland of holy wells to which pilgrims would come and make offerings usually in the hope of having an illness cured. Clootie wells also cloutie or cloughtie wells are places of pilgrimage in celtic areas they are wells or springs almost always with a tree growing beside them where strips of cloth or rags have been left usually tied to the branches of the tree as part of a healing ritual in scots nomenclature a clootie or cloot is a strip of.

The rag or cloot is dipped in the well and tied to a tree in the hope that a sickness or ailment will fade as the rag disintegrates. In scots a clootie or cloot is a strip of cloth or rag. Clootie wells are wells or springs almost always with a tree growing beside them with an assortment of garments or rags left often tied to the branches of the trees surrounding the well. The tree where the cloths were hung is known as a clootie tree always located at or near the well itself.

I d like to talk about the healing and purification. An article in wikipedia mentions the destruction of such a well at rath lugh in the tara skyrne valley of ireland that has recently been razed during the construction of a motorway. The clootie well is mentioned by several historical writers and collectors of folklore and tradition. A clootie well is a well or spring almost always with a tree growing beside it where strips of cloth or rags are tied to the branches usually in the hope of having an illness cured.

Clootie wells like the one here at munlochy are found in celtic places like cornwall and ireland and are linked to ancient healing traditions. When used at the clootie wells in scotland ireland and the isle of man the pieces of cloth are generally dipped in the water of the holy well and then tied to a branch while a prayer of supplication is said to the spirit of the well in modern times usually a saint but in pre christian times a goddess or local nature spirit. Clootie is a scottish word that means cloth. As a rag is left to rot at the clootie well.

In scotland ireland and england where old celtic tradition persists they are known as clootie wells.