JOURNAL OF THE COUNTY DONEGAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY donated by a Clonnaiug;hit p~~grim over a hunc:Wed -years: a:go, (2) The pr1aurers pr:eiscri'bed by tradi• tion for the turas are the ord~n.ary, s.i:mple, Catholic pil'1ayers; and they are reici'ted a:t certain sipe:ciirfted p]ruce1s or :sta:tions around the well. Loos:e soones and :pebbles (3) on the site are aipprlied to sores and seia1ts of physical ;pain after the manner of the Columbian white stone: .ailrieady relferred to. The turas ends with the recitation of tJhree Pater and Aves for the repose of the soul of An Brathair O Bui, who blese1s'Cl the well. This holy friar pr()lbaJbly :belonged to the Done1g1ail Ctonvent on the other side orf Cruach an Aifrinn. Beanndhuib1h was, no doubt, eiven then, w.i:thin the· Umites and districtus o.f that convent; and, conseq:uenrtly, it was v.tsited b~ friars "qui semper sunt in terminis'' (!Wihilcih Fa;thet' Jennings in hi'S S1cholarly book (rpaige ltl'5) tra.ns1a1tes: ''who are allway:s ruway on the quelSlt"). In addition to that quiasi-S(pliritual mission, theis.e f'.riar.s aJttended to tJhe sipdritual needs of tne :peOIIJ!}e. The road to the convent O'Ver the B1uesta16k Mountains was and is called Casan na mBratihiaiir: and Minna mBrathair li€s to the ·east of Be:anndhulbh. 207 Here, a.s eJsetWhere in t:Jhe county, the memory of the Penal Days i.S, h!~pHy, veLled in tiwil~g:ht haze. But this ta.le Of An Brat/hW O'BW. stm lives. He was caugihit blY priest-hunters in tlhe vicinity; and he req1uest€1d to be a.1lowed to wallk in front of his ca[pltors. H.i:s requestt iwas !!ranted. iHe aippro.acihied this Well and there knelt in pr.ay:er. When his pursuers ea.me up they saJW only a dense fog, and tlhe brilliant glare o!f trupers and torches held by anige:ls invisdl'Dlei---- ange1s inV'ulnerrub:le. .impeine:tralbly armed. lit is not, pe!ihJa;p1s., an undue stretch of imagditla.tion to suppose ·that the friar's prayer was that uttered by David of old in someiwh.a.t similiar cireumrs:tances: "For Thou haislt deliver·ed me from all trouble and my eye has looked down UiPOn my enemies." S:EOS~H UA ~OiLAIN. Fe1as1t of St. cia,tharine o:f S~ena, 1949. (1) A Saddle Quern. {2·) Sitle of Mass Roclt. (3) Seven Round Stones. [Edl.]
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