On 9 June, the feast of St Columba, many people of Clonmany drove their cattle down to the beach. They swam them in the stretch of sea where the water of St Columb’s Well ran in. Dyer took this from Mason’s Statistical Account of Ireland.
Swimming the cattle on St Columba’s Day at Clonmany
9 June · Clonmany, County Donegal
No longer kept
formerly on this day many of the inhabitants drove down their cattle to the beach, and swam them in that part of the sea into which runs the water of St. Columb's Well
From Dyer's British Popular Customs, p. 310. Read the original
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