The Kybe well was an important source of water in Skerries in olden times. The origin of the word Kybe is unknown. The well was situated between the priory of Holmpatrick, which is now Holmpatrick cemetery, and Holmpatrick Manor which was situated near the junction of Strand Street and Church Street.
The wall was under a large sycamore tree where several steps lead down to the stone lined well. The field where the well was situated was the playing field for the pupils of the old Holy faith convent. The convent stood on the site now occupied by The Kybe Estate. In 1982 this school amalgamated with the De La Salle school and they moved to a new premises off Balbriggan street.
Published here: November 2002
Father John Gowan, a native of Skerries was instrumental in founding the Holy Faith Order with Margaret Aylward in Dublin. At that time girls from Skerries had to travel to Balbriggan for secondary education. Fr. Gowan’s sister offered a house in Gowan Lane, now Convent Lane, to the Holy Faith nuns to establish a girls’ school in the town and the nuns came to Skerries in 1875.
The convent offered adult education for the people who never had the opportunity of attending school, as well as educating the children.
By 1883 the school had grown too large for the house in Convent Lane. A cousin of Fr. Gowan, Mr. Anthony Ellis who lived in New York, donated £1,000 to buy a site and build a new convent. When the new school was built it educated both boys and girls.
