Lady's Well (Irish: Tobar Mhuire)[1] is a holy well dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the townland of Ballyda in the civil parish of Danesfort, County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is included in the Record of Monuments and Places under record number "KK023-075----".[2]
The holy well once gave its name to the local area, and the nearby school (now ruinous) was known as Ladyswell School.
As of the late 20th century, a pattern was still celebrated at this holy well on 15 August each year, to mark the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.[1]
There are a number of stories about Lady's Well in the Dúchas.ie "Schools' Collection", including several which refer to apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the well.[3] One account tells of a woman whose eyes were cured after bathing her eyes in the water repeatedly.[4] [5]
Some folkloric tales mention stones spotted with blood,[6] [7] a theme common to stories of other holy wells.[8] The origin of the blood at Lady's Well is given as coming from a priest who was killed there by soldiers while saying mass.[9] In one account, the leaves of nearby hawthorn bushes are also covered in spots of blood.
According to the folklore recorded in the Schools' Collection, the water collected in this holy well will not boil – another common theme in stories about holy wells.[8]