Irelandscapes | Saint Cooey's Temple and Wells, Portaferry - (N Irish Christian Heritage Scenery) @Irelandscapes | Uploaded July 2022 | Updated October 2024, 6 hours ago.
This short film is for those who haven't been to Cooey's Wells, and those who have been but are not able to reach it, perhaps living overseas. I hope it brings comfort and evokes the unique atmosphere of this outlying coastal site. There are some local caretakers who volunteer to keep the site safe and tidy. I met a retired couple from this very townland who carry out this task, with their friendly rescue dog, who have a wealth of knowledge about the local history.
The first thing that strikes you about Cooey's Wells is it's overwhelmingly peaceful nature. Most likely, you will have the place to yourself when you visit. A transcendence from Drumlin hill, to small wells and Temple, to marshlands and finally a rocky coastline looking out toward Scotland.
There is a Faerie Tree here, by the modern stone shrine which was built on the Medieval ruins of the original site. Not all Faerie trees in Ireland are Hawthornes, but most are. The votive offerings of bracelets and fabric fragments reflect the social relationship between the transition of our Celtic pagan past to our Christian present. Ireland is somewhat unique in this rural duplicity. The offerings are left as wishes to the healing powers of Saint Cooey and his clear water wells. Around the island, one will find many such trees at sacred sites, often at church ruins, which harbour the intentions of caring souls for others. One example is the Hawthorne tree within the ruins at Ardclinis, near Cushendall.
This short film is for those who haven't been to Cooey's Wells, and those who have been but are not able to reach it, perhaps living overseas. I hope it brings comfort and evokes the unique atmosphere of this outlying coastal site. There are some local caretakers who volunteer to keep the site safe and tidy. I met a retired couple from this very townland who carry out this task, with their friendly rescue dog, who have a wealth of knowledge about the local history.
The first thing that strikes you about Cooey's Wells is it's overwhelmingly peaceful nature. Most likely, you will have the place to yourself when you visit. A transcendence from Drumlin hill, to small wells and Temple, to marshlands and finally a rocky coastline looking out toward Scotland.
There is a Faerie Tree here, by the modern stone shrine which was built on the Medieval ruins of the original site. Not all Faerie trees in Ireland are Hawthornes, but most are. The votive offerings of bracelets and fabric fragments reflect the social relationship between the transition of our Celtic pagan past to our Christian present. Ireland is somewhat unique in this rural duplicity. The offerings are left as wishes to the healing powers of Saint Cooey and his clear water wells. Around the island, one will find many such trees at sacred sites, often at church ruins, which harbour the intentions of caring souls for others. One example is the Hawthorne tree within the ruins at Ardclinis, near Cushendall.
