FROM THE DIOCESE OF KERRY WEB SITE:
St. Gobnait was a female Irish saint whose church was Móin Mór, now Bairnech. The main centres of devotion to Gobnait are Inis Oírr (Aran Islands), Dún Chaoin in West Kerry and Baile Bhúirne near the Cork / Kerry border. There are a number of other places which carry her name - often as Kilgobnet or Cill Ghobnait - near Dungarvan and Milltown in Co. Kerry for example. All of these sites carry a link to the story of Gobnait and the journey undertaken by her to seek "the place of her resurrection".
I am not sure what happens these days on Inis Oírr or at the lesser known sites but the 11th of February is the pattern day in Dún Chaoin and in Baile Bhúirne, the day is marked as a holiday/holy day in the two parishes.
In Dún Chaoin there is Mass at 10:00 in Séipéal N. Ghobnait and the rounds are paid afterwards at Tobar Gobnatan and Cill Gobnatan (Ceathrú an Fheirtéaraigh). This time of the year often brings rather inclement weather, there is also a tradition of paying the rounds on Easter Sunday...
She is regarded as the great protector of Baile Bhúirne and is much associated with healing. One story tells of how she cured one of her nuns who was sick and how she kept the plague away from Baile Bhúirne by drawing a line along the eastern borders of the parish with her stick beyond which the plague never came. Many accounts exist of how Gobnait prevented invaders (said to have been O'Donoghues of the Glens) from carrying off the cattle - on their approach she let loose the bees from her hives and they attacked the invaders, forcing them to flee. One version of the tale has the beehive turning into a bronze helmet and the bees themselves turning into soldiers. It is said that it was the O'Herlihys who sought her help and that they handed down the bronze helmet from one generation to the next as a great source of protection. M.T. Kelly, writing in the JCHAS , Vol.III No. 25. (1897), p.102 , suggests that Windele had come across accounts of this helmet but that it had been lost somewhere in Kerry. Another version has the beehive turning into a bell which then became Gobnait's bell.
Another story is told of how, during her lifetime, foreigners came intent on building a castle in Baile Bhúirne. but that the locals opposed this (reminiscent of more recent times and rows over development!). Every night after the builders had left the saint knocked down their building by throwing her bell at the castle. Eventually they gave up, the site, 'Carraig an Chaisleáin' is still pointed out as proof of the power of Gobnait. Another version of this tale has Gobnait casting a stone ball at the castle each night. This ball is now said to be the one in the wall of the medieval church and can be seen on the rounds.
Read More at the Diocese of Kerry Web Site.
Sources:
Under The Oak: St. Gobnait of Ballyvourney
Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gobnait