About one mile south of the Gaeltacht village of Ballyvourney in West Cork, then turning left, and veering around to a remote fastness, near the hub of the Lee Valley, is to be found the rustic and idyllic site of Saint Gobnait's - such a haven of peace that it almost feels like one has entered the domain of the dove and that one is resting on the palm of the creator of the universe when first the world began! And so I went with open heart and serene soul to this refuge of solitude; for the mystique of that holy woman, Gobnait - christianised by the church - so similiar to Brigid, and the lure and reverence for the bee, bade me come hither, as if drawn by a powerful magnet as powerful as a wave whose buoyant crest ceases not its joyous sway!
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| Statue of Saint Gobnait |
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| The bee and deer carvings |
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| As seen from the other side; with bee, bell, psalter |
The site has a number of things of interest: directly across from the Abbey and graveyard is a small holy well called Saint Abban's and a most striking sculpture of Gobnait; with the iconographic imagery of the bee (whose patroness was Gobnait), the bell, the book or psalter and the deer! According to the legend, she was directed by an angel in a dream, to leave her home in Clare, and venture forth like a white peregrine, not declaring a truce with her wanderings and odyssey, until seeing nine deer. This is the first thing that struck me; the deer, features very much in Gaelic and pagan chronicles and I wonder could it be borrowed from them, and hence be a metaphor for something else, rather than a literal anecdote. For instance, Oisin translated, literally means little deer, and some interpret the story of Oisin (myself included), as possibly some sort of figurative allusion to shape shifting, to which belief, prechristians and pagans would have adhered. Additionally, the prayer of Saint Patrick "Saint Patrick's Breastplate" is, interestingly also known as "The Deer's cry". Could this herein be a parable for us surrendering to our dreams and following the 'deer' of innocence to wherever destiny bids us to go?
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| Saint Gobnait's Grave, Abbey and Churchyard with the Lee Valley in the background |
Inside the graveyard and abbey, there are a number of curiosities: there is the grave of Gobnait, which has a mound, upon which is a white sculpture with references and symbolism of the snake. This I failed to see; hence, it would seem as with other places and other times, I have to return, to finish unfinished business, like when one is filling in a hole, but decides not to fully fill it in but leave it part empty for future endeavours. The main area here is the old Abbey; carved into a lintel above the right window, is to be found a Sheela-na-Gig. This doesn't seem incongrous, in the least, given Gobnait's pagan/sacred feminine persona, which lingers under the surface like a deep pulsing vein beneath the skin and flesh. For with some of the stories about Gobnait, it seems she was a doyen of fertility for the blooming blossom of progress and evolution; there is the story of how, when the place was threatened by a plague, she marked out the area with a stick, and it was miraculously saved! Perhaps true but it could also again be an allegory - this time for dowsing the land for its miraculous properties or esoterically infusing the land with energies and leylines!?
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| Sheela-na-Gig above the east lintel; demonstrating the multitiered aspects of the place. |
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| Almost climbing up to it! |
Just down from the abbey grounds and graveyard, through a mystical arched entrance - a bit like rolling an almond through an alcove, one will stumble upon Gobnait's Holy Well. This is a beautiful well, with the middle step perfectly aligned in a hollow, in which to kneel down, as if some mystical craftsperson had carved it like a mat, to take the contour and shape of the pilgrim's knees with the finest precision; the water volume is like a vessel whose liquid bounty is an incandescent blowtorch whose taste and freshness is as fresh as a river when first it flows. And there is a tranquility particularly around here which makes it a prime candidate for the haven of peace in an oasis of delight; the doves fly around in the secret channels of mirth.
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| Tranquil sereneness by Gobnait's Well |
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| In reprise |
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| Gobnait's Well with middle step into which one can kneel |
GOBNAIT, THE BEE AND ITS HISTORY OF HEALING
It's narrated that Gobnait was the patroness of the bee - a beekeeper - who had some mystical connection with the bee and according to tradition, saved cattle from marauding raiders, by sending the bees out - radar-like - to chase the would be thieves away! There is also a tradition of people being healed here through the winsome honey mead of the bees! Clearly, this was a special place - a chosen place - what with its strategic positioning as a sanctuary, the importance and reverence accorded to the bee, the tradition of healing, the story of the land being cut off - quarantined so to speak - to remain unblemished and free from the ravages of the plague; then, additionally, the fact that there is another spring nearby, which means that there are up to three wells in close proximity. (Interestingly, when around this part, I had a strange sense of bees buzzing in my eardrums, and there was a tingling inside my ears, as if some small army were marching in my eardrums!)
The site of Saint Gobnait's, Ballyvourney, is a real refuge off the beaten track; it is a haven of peace where the pilgrim and nature seem to enter a symbiotic relationship heretofore nonexistent. It's as if the veil between the two worlds has opened - the two worlds that connect the human make up - the masculine and the feminine, and this harmonious interconnectedness is ably reflected by the cosmic clamour of the bee and Gobnait's mystical antennae. This is a sanctuary where many sanctuaries exist; it is a prime mover of relaxation! See it and be at ease with life.
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| Ruined house beyond the graveyard. At the side of the base of the Celtic Cross in the middle, there is an interesting celtic design. |
PS There are also supposed to be Bullaun Stones in the graveyard 'though I didn't see them.
Directions:
From Macroom, County Cork travel west on the N22 towards Kerry. Go through Baile Mhic Ire (Ballymakerry) and after the church and school on your right take the next left turn signposted. About 400 metres down here you will come to the first holy well. Take the next right for the Church.
