The Magic and Mystery of Holy Wells
By Edna Whelan, published by Capall Bann at £8.95. 120pp. ISBN 186163 1359 (Reviewed by David Taylor)
This is a lovely little book. Although it is not original in its approach to th esubject you can certainly feel that it has been written by someone who has a real love of holy wells. She describes with enthusiasm about discovering “new” wells, and gives a good overview about the archaeology, history and folklore of these sacred sites.
Like the Michael Howard book reviewed above, this book is certainly aimed at the newcomer, which is not a bad thing. The book is full of lovely little illustrations, which although not of a particularly high standard do give a certain feel to the book. This book suffers from the same problem that all Capall Bann books suffer from, however. Overpriced and no index. But if you are new to the subject of holy wells, and you don’t mind overpriced books, this is a lovely little introduction to the subject with a real love of holy wells.