Call to protect old Louth well from further damage and preserve piece of Drogheda heritage

The well, whose original demise led to the name of the road because of a new well, is being temporarily propped up while it is in a bad state of repairs.

Former resident of Flanagan’s Terrace Noel McArdle alerted local councillors to its condition, and recalls a piece of folklore attached to the old well.

“Before the houses of Flanagan’s Terrace were built, there was a row of thatched cottages where the front gardens of the houses stand today. The houses were basically in the countryside on the edge the town.

The old well in the wall was the water source to the residents at that time. This water source had been there for as long as anyone could remember and was crucial to the day-to-day needs of its near by residents.

The story goes that one day a widow woman came knocking with her children on the doors of the residents of the Well Road. As each door opened, she asked only for food for her children but at each door she was denied.

As the woman found no kindness she travelled on down the road. She stopped at the well to take some water for her family but she also washed her clothes. What the residents did not realise was that to wrong a widow carries a curse.

No sooner had she washed the last piece of clothing the well ran dry and the residents were left without water for a long time until they found a new well further down.

Hence the name it has today”.

Cllr Kevin Callan raised the issue at the May Louth County Council meeting in Drogheda, and called for some action to protect this local historical artefact.

"I know it’s not a protected structure, but I hope we can have some conversation around protected this part of the town’s heritage,” said Cllr Callan. “I know some of the councillors like Cllr Pio Smith have written to the developers, but it would be really good if we could arrange for something that would protect that structure, which is a little bit if local history.”