Clootie tree or rag tree at St. Brigit's well, Kildare

Clootie tree, predominantly a hawthorn, bedecked with ribbons, bandages and others curious trinkets left as offerings from the people to the saint. The word “clootie” or “clougthie” is actually Scotttish Gaelic meaning “cloth” or “clothing.”The tradition of dipping rags or cloths into sacred water is apparently a very old one found throughout modern celtic locales–Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Cornwall, Wales, and other places. Those seeking purification would dip a strip of cloth in the water, then apply it to the affected body part. After hanging the cloth on a nearby tree–in Ireland, usually a hawthorn–they would leave it to the elements. They believed that by the time the sun had bleached it and the passage of time had cleaned it, the part of the body it had touched would be cured by the attendant spirit or goddess.Usually, the wells one sees today are adorned with Christian crosses, and there are areas designated for pilgrims to leave tokens. Originally, however, the wells were probably declared “holy of holies” by some attendant druid or representative of the spirit that watched over the healing waters.

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