Holy wells, which are freshwater sources associated with a particular saint and traditionally believed to carry healing or spiritual properties, are scattered across Ireland in their thousands, but most retain at least some trace of living custom. This one, by the mid-twentieth century, had already gone quiet.

The folklorist Caoimhín Ó Danachair documented the well in 1955, noting that it appeared on the Ordnance Survey map of 1840 under the name St Nicholas' Well, suggesting it had already been a recognised landmark for well over a century before he visited. He recorded that devotees had made "rounds" at the site, particularly on Sundays. Rounds, in the context of holy wells, refers to a set pattern of circumambulation, usually performed a prescribed number of times in a specific direction, often accompanied by prayer. Ó Danachair also noted that the well appeared to fall within the ecclesiastical parish of St Nicholas, which may explain how the dedication survived so persistently in local memory and on the map. By the time he wrote up his findings, however, the active tradition had already faded.

The well sits in Monaclinoe, a rural townland in County Limerick. Because devotional practice here has long since ceased, there are no patterns or feast-day gatherings to time a visit around. The brick cupola and inscribed slab are the main things to look for, and the spring itself flows slowly, so it may not announce itself in the way a more vigorous source would. Access and the current condition of the structure are not documented in recent sources, so it is worth making local enquiries before setting out. As with many such sites, the interest lies as much in what is no longer happening as in what remains.