One and a half
miles East of Downpatrick in County Down are Struell Wells, (Srúthail
is Irish for 'stream') these are associated with St
Patrick. The earliest reference to then is in 1306 although
none of the building are earlier than 1600. A fast flowing stream
runs partly under ground, through the secluded, rocky valley, and
along it are ranged five buildings. Furthest NW is the shell of
a mid 18th century church, never completed, a chapel was listed
here in the 1306 taxation roll.
Nearby is the Eye Well which
is rectangular with a pyramidal corbelled roof. The Drinking Well,
is circular with a doomed vault built on wicker centering. To the
SE the stone roofed Men's Bath house has a dressing room with seats
leading to the bath house. A third room also with seats served as
a dressing room to the adjoining Woman's Bath house now roofless.
Pilgrimage's to the site were well documented from the 16th to 19th
centuries.
There is no certainty about
the earliest date of this site there are records of a chapel on
the site in about 1300, St Patrick is associated with the site so
it probably dates from the 5th century. It is also possible that
this may have been a pagan site which was taken over with the arrival
of Christianity. A Papal Nuncio visiting Ireland in 1517 seems to
have visited the site. In 1643 a Father MacCana described his visit.
There are detailed accounts of pilgrimages in the mid 18th century,
and stations were still performed here in the late 19th century.
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