Holy wells, known in Irish tradition as places where spring water was believed to carry healing or sacred properties, were once scattered across the Irish countryside in their hundreds, each with its own local rites and specialisms. This one, known as Tobarín Mhuire, a diminutive Irish form meaning something close to "little well of Mary", was once sought out specifically for toothache, a particular and rather human complaint to attach to a sacred source.

The well was recorded in the 1930s by Capt. D. B. O'Connell, who noted both its name and its reputation for curing ills. That decade saw considerable effort across Ireland to document local traditions and place-lore before they dissolved entirely, and O'Connell's record catches Tobarín Mhuire at what may already have been a late stage of active use. The well lies in pasture on a slope that looks northward over Kenmare Bay, a setting that would have made it a modest but meaningful local landmark. It is no longer in use, and there is no indication that the patterns or rituals once associated with it have continued into recent times.