Revealing St Buonia

Up bright and early, I watched the dawn from my bedroom window as the sun rose behind a mountain, lighting up the sea. Then it was off to Emlagh Bog with a group of six to enlighten them about the delights of holy wells. Fortunately the gale force wind had died down, the frisky bullocks had vanished, the sun came out and all was well. I left them looking slightly dazed as they headed off to Kinsale via half of Ireland.

And I went off in search of St Buonia.  Her ecclesiastical settlement lay half way up a mountain surrounded by bog and brambles. But it was incredible. There was so much to explore - a crumbled oratory, a triangular shrine complete with small hole for the pilgrim to put their hand through and feel the saints bones (now gone), a fine pillar stone, two holed stones and a well, The well was seriously overgrown, submerged in bog and covered in fuchsia but this decorated stone is what I was looking for. I cleared around it and there she was - St Buonia, possible sister to St Patrick, this stone erected by a grateful pilgrim sometime in the late 18C. You can just see the word saint carved to the left and above that a winged cherub. I was thrilled and had to sit and ponder on all this - a settlement founded by women sometime in the 6C. What must life had been like.

Exceptionally filthy and exhausted I then wend my way home via some of the RIng of Kerry - it looked magnificent but so many coaches and so many people spilling out of them and taking the same photo - she says snottily, having taken the same photo herself! Ah well.

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