ABSTRACT
The Republic of Ireland had about 3,000 holy wells. An analysis of their distribution using a geographical information system (GIS) shows that these wells are found in a range of physiographic settings (coastal, lowland and hill or mountain) and in all major rock types and aquifer categories. Whilst the highest densities generally occur in the more productive aquifers classed as regionally important, the largest percentage (68%) occurs in aquifers classed as poorly productive, since these aquifer categories are the most widespread (72% of the land area).The analysis also shows that holy wells have the highest frequency in areas classed as having Extreme or High vulnerability to groundwater pollution. This is unsurprising, because a great many holy wells are located in places where the aquifer is close to the ground surface, and hence are potentially vulnerable to pollution.
