The Rounds, Ballyvourney

I was at home today, and took a spin back to the Rounds in Ballyvourney. This is a site devoted to St. Gobnait, one of the local saints and it was a real nostalgia trip.

My grandmother used to love coming to the Rounds, and when I got my first provisional licence, she often enlisted me to drive her there. She no longer left the car, but would sit there saying her prayers. To be honest, I was already well in the stages of religious disbelief at that time, but I always found something peaceful and serene about that place.

St. Gobnait's grave is located there, and it is covered in cr*p that people have left behind. It's a popular belief that illnesses and so on can be cured by praying at St. Gobnait's grave and there is a layer of statuettes, scapulars, rosary beads and other religious tack on the grave.