This is a quiet little spot off one of our family walks, looks lovely in the evening sunset. It's interesting in itself I suppose, but it encouraged us to try to complete a loop of caches arund Glanmire during the Covid-19 outbreak when all we could do was walk around the local area.
The Church of Ireland church was built on the site of the ancient parish church, which was in ruins by 1615. All that remains today is a hexagonal tower and spire. The church was demolished in 1923 and the stone possibly used to rebuild the nearby Butlertown House. It’s an evocative sight in the old churchyard.
Leaving the area notice the townland sign – Brooklodge - which you will see is called Cill Ruadhán in Irish, meaning St Ruadhán’s church. The parish was also known as Kilroan, a corruption of Cill Ruadhán, but is now better known as Ballylucra. St Ruadhán’s Well still exists high above the town in Brooklodge, also marked as Ruown Well on the early OS maps. It is marked by a lone Ash tree in a field of pasture. An impressive lintel is still there at the foot of the tree covering the well. The well is dry – dried out in the 1930s when electricity was introduced to the area and the ground disturbed, according to the landowner.
The cache is a clever little thing, but fragile. No need to force it, just think it through.