Clondalkin Round Tower

Clondalkin Round Tower is one of only four towers to be found in Dublin.

The site of the tower dates back to a monastery which was founded by St Mochua in the 7th century.

Considered one of the oldest towers in the country Clondalkin is dated between 8th/9th Century.

The narrow tower (considered the narrowest in the country) rises to a height of over 27 meters.

The doorway is 3.9 meters above pavement level.

The towers most unusual feature is the skirt like bulge around the base, this feature is not replicated on any other tower in Ireland. It is thought to have been added after the tower was built maybe to add support to the narrow structure.   

As the tower is located on a very busy street you would need to park in a nearby car park.

My visit was an early Sunday morning hence no traffic in the shots.

Kinneigh Round Tower

One of only two round towers to be found in County Cork is Kinneigh Round Tower.

The round tower is built on a large rocky outcrop, and has a unique 5 meter high hexagonal base.

The tower rises to a height of 20 meters and is round from the hexagonal section up.

The doorway is about 4 meters above the ground and faces North East.

Kinneigh Round Tower is estimated to have been built sometime between 900 and 1050.

To facilitate a bell an upper section was added in the mid 19th century.

The original  monastery in the area is said to have been founded by St Mocholmog in the year 619.

The site of the monastery was located 0.8 km to the West of the tower.

Access - The tower is located on the grounds of St Bartholomew's Church Of Ireland, in Kinneigh.

Parking can be found beside the graveyard.  This leaves you a short walk to the very striking tower.

Grangefertagh Round Tower

Grangefertagh Round Tower is the only remnant of an early monastery founded by St Ciaran of Seir. The original site is thought to date back to the 6th Century.

The site was raided by Vikings in 861 and in 1156 the High King Murtagh McNeale burned the tower.

The tower is 31 meters in height and that is with only a small part of the towers cap remaining.
The diameter of the tower is 4.8 meters.
Their are nine windows in total, six of which are angle headed & the remaining three are lintelled.

The doorway is 3.3 meters from ground level and as you can see in image 3 has had all of it's stone work removed.
This is said to have occurred when a farmer took the stones to help in the building of a fireplace!

The church is dated 13th Century and has had it's main section turned into a handball alley.

In one small section of the church is the tomb of Brian MacGiolla Phadraigh Lord of Ossory.

Access - The tower is very visible from the M8.
Parking can be found in a couple of spots close to the site. 

   
 

Ferns Round Tower

Ferns round tower is a rare type of round tower to be found in Ireland but is not unique.
The majority of Ireland's towers are free standing but there are exceptions to this, examples can be found in such places as Glendalough (St Kevins)  and Killashee (Kildare).

The overall look of Ferns tower would also remind you of the free standing tower of Kinneigh which has a hexagonal base and gives way to the more traditional round section.

The tower here has a square base and rises to a height of over 18 meters.
The top of the tower has four square lintelled windows.  It also contains several defence slit openings.

The site of Ferns originally dates back to the 7th Century when it was founded by St Aiden.
Ferns was attacked by Vikings in the 9th and 10th Centuries.

The round tower is part of St Mary's Abbey which was founded by Diarmuid MacMurrough in the 12th Century.


The Ferns site also has a 13th Century cathedral and four high crosses one of which (only the base/shaft remaining) is said to mark the grave of  Diarmuid MacMurrough.

Access - parking can be found quite close to the site.
The tower can be accessed via the cathedral (to the left of the tower image no 2). 

Drumbo Round Tower

Drumbo Round Tower is all that remains of an early Christian site, which originally dated back to the times of St Patrick.  

The tower rises to a height of just over 10.6 meters.  The doorway is 1.5 meters from ground level (which is very low for a round towers doorway).

Inside the tower, beam holes are visible indicating that the towers floors were of timber.

Records show the tower was severely damaged in the 11th Century.

Restoration work has been carried out on the tower with the top rebuilt in the 18th Century.

Access - The tower can be found within the grounds of the local Presbyterian church.
Parking can be found within a short walk to the graveyard and tower.

Kilmallock Round Tower

This much altered round tower is all that remains from an earlier site that dates back to the
7th Century Monastery built by St Mocheallog.

The round tower is dated sometime between the 10th and 11th Century and has now the later west wall of the church built around it.

The towers original stone work can be best viewed from outside the church at the base (image 2).

From a couple of meters up the tower changes in masonry and appearance, with the medieval work carried out on the tower becoming more obvious the higher you go.

The round tower of Kilmallock has been much altered and as a result is very different from other towers to be found in Ireland.

The Collegiate Church which is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul was built in the 13th Century.

As I was stuck for time on the day of my visit and was intent on making the tower shots a priority I did not get to explore the church or any of the other great sites in Kilmallock.

Access - The tower is located just off the main street in Kilmallock, the streets are narrow but parking can be found without great difficulty.     







   

Antrim Round Tower

Antrim Round Tower is an impressive 28 metre tall tower that is dated around the 10th Century.     
The tower is known locally as The Steeple. 
The doorway is over 2 meters from ground level.
Above the doorway features a carving of a Celtic cross (image 3).

The site is all that remains of a monastic settlement which dates as far back as 495 AD and is said to have been founded by St Aeibh. 

The Annals of the Four Masters report that the site was destroyed in 1018 and burned in 1147.

The area was landscaped during the 19th century and parts of the settlement were demolished and cleared away.

The  surrounding area was turned into a private Demise and repairs were carried out on the tower at this time.

A large boulder is known as the Witch's Stone, it has two bullauns and lies approximately 6 meters from the tower

Access  - The tower is located in parkland that can be accessed from Steeple Road.

Cloyne Round Tower

The site at Cloynes dates back to the 6th Century when a monastery was founded by
St Colman Mac Lenine.

The tower which is said to be 10th Century is composed of a dark purplish sandstone and rises to a height of just over 30 meters.
The doorway is close to 3.5 meters from the base, which is built on a offset but this was not visible on my visit (image 4). 
The tower has a total of 9 windows 7 of which are lintelled, the windows on the 3rd and 5th floor are both angled.

The tower was struck by lightning in 1749 but the cap was gone by then and the battlements you see today were in place.

In recent years it was possible to climb to the top of the tower, but this is no longer allowed due to maintenance and insurance issues.   

Access -
Travelling on the N25 Cork to Midleton road you will see a turn for Cloyne R629, this bring you directly onto the appropriately named Church St.

The tower is opposite St Colman's Church of Ireland Cathedral.
Parking can be found close to the tower quite easy.   

Roscrea Round Tower

St Cronan founded the monastery in Roscrea in the late 6th Century (He died in the early part of the 7th Century).
The site was chosen as it formed part of the ancient route between Tara and Cashel.  
The tower dates from the 11th Century.
It is 20 meters high and made from sandstone.
The plain doorway is close to 2.5 meters from ground level.
The tower also has 3 windows.
The earliest mention of the round tower is when it was struck by lightning in 1131.

Across a very busy main road - but not early on a Sunday morning is the Romanesque 12th Century St Cronan's church (image 4).
What you can see in the picture is sadly all that is left of what must have been a stunning site.

Access - The tower and church are right beside the old Dublin to Roscrea main road (N62) just before you enter the town.
Parking can be found pretty easy within walking distance.     


 

Old Kilcullen Round Tower

The Old Kilcullen monastic site dates back to the 5th Century.
St Patrick founded the monastery and placed it in the care of St MacTail (Died 548).

The site was attacked by Vikings in 736 and again in 944.

The round tower is thought to date back to the 11th Century.
The tower is close to 11 meters in height, with the round headed doorway close to 2 meters from ground level.
A drawing from 1792 shows the tower in a more complete state.
Old Kilcullen's tower was reduced to its present state in the 1798 rebellion.

The site also has the very small remains of a Romanesque church (dated later than the tower).
Sadly all that remains of the church today is the base walls.

Old Kilcullen also boasts the shaft's of two high crosses,  the shaft closest to the tower has some lovely detail the other taller shaft at the back of the graveyard is very worn and I could not make out any details.
The site also has the base of another high cross.

The setting and location for Old Kilcullen could not be better, quite and peaceful with stunning views of the surrounding Kildare countryside.

Access - The site is signposted and a short drive from the N78, parking can be found beside the site leaving you a short walk up an avenue to the graveyard.