Saintesses like Ita, Brigid and Gobnait are in and around Imbolg but Iníon Baoith is an outlier on the calendar. Her patron day is December 29th - round about the winter solstice.

Her cult is strongest in Killinaboy in Clare where amongst other monuments, there are four holy wells dedicated to her.

Toberineenboy (Tobar Inion Baoith) is on commonage in Commons South and is renowned for cure for sore eyes or warts.

The well is natural feature – a hollow in the bed rock caused by rainwater solution.
The hollow is permanently filled with rainwater and resembles an eye.
Holy wells, known to cure eye ailments, may on occasion resemble an eye (Bord).

The dry stone well house is elliptically-shaped. A humble flag acts as altar within the well house and overhangs the well.

Offerings lie on the altar and vicinity. On a site visit, I recorded the offerings. They included a medallion and four religious figurines on the altar. About 90 coins lay in a small depression on the pavement right behind the well.

The practice of christening girls in the parish ‘Innerwee’ has long died out but Winifred is part of the story too. A re-naming occurred from Iníon Baoith to Winifred - perhaps an attempt to re-create Inion Baoith as a mirror image of St Winifred, abbess, martyr and patron of virgins (Mc Mahon).

In order to get the cure, prayer rounds must be done at the site on two Mondays and a Thursday.

The prayers invoked are one Our Father and three Hail Marys. On completing the rounds, the devotee must leave a blessed offering. Finally, the water must be rubbed “to the eye or the wart” (Schools’ Collection).

Magico-religious healing in the middle of a county near the edge of a continent.