St Cooey’s Wells, off Ballyquintin Road, Tullycarnan, Portaferry, Co Down

St. Cooey’s Wells is a site of early Christian, and potentially pre-Christian, significance, now landscaped and including an open-air chapel. Located on a slope to the east of the Ballyquintin Road, southeast of Portaferry on the southern tip of the Ards peninsula, the well itself resembles a small stream approximately 15 meters long. The south side is flanked by concrete pavers, while the north side features a steep bank lined with a wall of rounded stones sourced from a nearby beach. Slate plaques are embedded in this stone wall at intervals, bearing the words “wash,” “eyes,” and “drink” inscribed on them. The entire site was landscaped by local residents around 1977. To the east stands a small open-air structure over an altar, occasionally used for services. A car park is situated further up the slope, with concrete steps providing access to the well and adjacent graveyard area.

Local tradition attributes the well’s holiness to St. Cooey, a seventh-century cleric said to have performed penitential exercises and drunk from the waters. However, like many holy wells in the British Isles, the site may have earlier, pre-Christian origins. The name “Cooey” is possibly a corruption of "Mochae," the name of the founder of Nendrum, a more well-known Ards saint. Mass was celebrated at the adjoining Templecooey site until the 18th century.