Story of a Holy Well
12th May 1938
About seventy years ago a holy well is supposed to have been neglected and disrespected in the North. One day the well arose up in the air and flew away towards the south. The people from the North followed it and kept it in view until they came to Ballinagran from there they saw the well falling at Balla. They let a shout or cry out of them when they saw it falling at Balla and from that day to this the place at Ballinagran is called Graig.
There was a saint called Saint Mochua living in the North at this time. He followed the holy well to Balla and built his church there. The altar stands in the old grave-yard at Balla still. The place was dedicated to Saint Mochua. Every year around the 15th August the people go around barefooted doing stations from the holy to the little altar that's in the grave-yard. The Holy well fell at a wall which is Balla from which Balla gets its name.
“INFORMANT: Mrs Corcoran, Age; 33, Prizon, Balla, Co. Mayo”