Miracle at Saint St Augustine’s Holy Well

The story of the Holy Well by the shores of Lough Atalia

A few other poems:

• Tenalach
  
• Letter to an Unknown Soldier
  
• I Said I’d Make a Voodoo Doll
  
• Rose Among the Weeds
  

St Augustines Holy Well in Galway

All hope gone bar blind faith
The child to the well he was brought
In desperation and pure belief was bathed
A cure for his ailment was saught.

Prayers said, the boy was toweled down
Wrapped up him warm to keep
Dutifully by the local women
He was allowed to settle and sleep.

Chided on being woken from a vision
Folk and the Board thought it a dream
He said Christ and the Virgin were before him
With “brave winged brides” had been…

A miracle his family declared it
For the boy sickly who before them of this talked
Who before this had to be carried
Like Christs cripple, got up and walked!

Three drams of water in the name of the Trinity
To be drank by him for the next nine days
He told the assembled who before him trembled
At the truth that God answers folk simple who prays.

These waters I walk by some centuries after
Where the Governor of Galway had people shot at his will
Grace, luck, call it what you want, even good fortune
Many injured yet no one did they kill.

The looted the pilgrims and jailed them
Taking Gods name in vain
Saying they knew what He wanted and not them
Who did not even have the right to say His name!

Plaque at St Augustines Holy Well in Galway

Reference:

* Pilgrimage Medieval Ireland

Sean Carabini Visitors Blog �" Id agree with most bar I think the walls are not ramshackle but well made and charming.

Patrick Lynch (Wikipedia)

Galway Civic Trust

Glossary
“Who did not even have the right to say His name!” YWH is the name of God in the old testament, but is not allowed to be said by mortal man. It is why, particularity in Protestant bibles that God is spelled G-d.

“Governor of Galway had people shot at his will” �" Bathers were shot by the troops on the orders of the Protestant goveneor who said that Holy Wells were idolatry hangovers from Pagan times. The Pattern days are around the time of Lughanasa.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A amazing place. I like the story shared. I love history. Show us, the world had been kine and had been violence often. I would love to see this place. Thank you my friend for sharing history and story. I do appreciate.
Coyote

[An owl on the moon]

It is a wonder to see the world unfold within your eyes, my friend. Rich and deep, you paint such vibrant glimpses of God and grace and the often twisted places we create in the names of the divine or the devils. Powerful history.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

i agree with E. on some of the repetition which could probably smoothed out...but a really relevant story as to how callous people can be towards one another...miracles mixed with blood...the beautiful and the ugly seem to complement each other, for some reason.

a chilling tale here.

j.

[Einstein Noodle]

such a troubled and colorful history from the Emerald Isle ... thank you for this piece of it .. the rhythm is a bit broken here and there but i think it is the way this are said in Ireland perhaps ... in the first verse
"In desperation and pure belief was bathed
A cure for his ailment was saught. i want to say and saught instead of was saught ..or "and a cure for his ailment was saught" ....

in the fourth verse using "who before" twice makes it repetitious to me ... i would try and find a way to say it another way ..the lilt and laughter of the Irish is in it for sure ... but the sadness of the Troubles is deep within your tale .. i will be reading more on St. Augustines Well for sure ..
E.