A NEW contemporary artwork series, inspired by four of Ireland’s premier holy well sites — Lady’s Well, Rockspring and Tubrid Well, Millstreet in County Cork and St Michael’s Well, Lixnaw and Tobar na Molt, Ardfert in County Kerry — will be exhibited in Siamsa Tire next month.

Artist Marie Brett and blogger/author Amanda Clarke have partnered with a diverse community of holy well custodians, farmers, healers, historians, folklorists, scholars and interested neighbours in creating ‘Well, Well, Well?’ a body of artwork celebrating the role holy wells play in modern-day health and wellbeing.

The artwork spans dance, music, song, photography, print and film and will be premiered at Siamsa Tíre, Tralee, opening on October 3rd with Emmy award-winning poet Alan Cooke, and famed traditional singer, Sonny Egan.

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The artwork tells the story of a local lad who visits a holy well in curiosity and encounters its guardian.

Accompanied and guided across three sites, he makes votive offerings, enters into the water and receives elemental healing. He returns fundamentally changed.

The work explores wellbeing, and questions how individuals, communities and governments are meeting contemporary healthcare needs.

The series combines factual community experiences of healing water and earth energy, with reimagined folklore and traditional customs.

The free exhibition will run from October 3 to October 30.

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