Kirkmaiden Holy Well

Being so close to Ireland, Dumfries & Galloway was an obvious place to land for anybody fleeing the country. In the 8th century, a beautiful Irish Princess called Medana sailed to Scotland away from her lover. She was determined to live devoted to God instead. To her surprise, the man refused to give up his advances and followed her across the sea.

Eventually, he caught up with Medana near Monreith and demanded she return to Ireland with him. The princess asked him why it was that he thought her so irreplaceable. Her former lover proclaimed her eyes to be the most beautiful things he had ever seen. He simply couldn’t live without them. Medana replied that if he liked them so much, he could have them, and she tore them out of her own face.

She stumbled away on her own, looking for some fresh water to clean her face. Suddenly, a spring started to flow from the ground in front of her. When she washed the blood away, Medana discovered her eyes were miraculously restored. The rest of her life was spent in a small chapel, quietly teaching the word of God. That spring is now known as St Medana’s Well and her chapel became Kirkmaiden.