That much is certain. The details, for now, remain elusive, which is itself a kind of quiet commentary on how many such sites exist across Ireland, recorded and mapped but not yet fully described, known locally for generations while the wider record catches up.

Holy wells are among the oldest continuously venerated sites in the Irish landscape. Long predating Christianity, they were absorbed into the new faith and assigned patron saints, feast days, and patterns, the word "pattern" deriving from "patron", referring to the ritual visits, prayers, and circumambulations that once drew people to these spots on specific days of the year. Mayo alone contains dozens of them, tucked into field corners, beside old churches, or simply out in open ground, often marked by nothing more than a low stone surround, a scattering of votive offerings, or a rag tied to a nearby bush. Cornaveagh is a small rural townland, and its well belongs to this wider tradition, a feature of the pre-industrial countryside that has outlasted most of what was built around it.