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.

Cunard Portal Tomb

Cunard Portal Tomb is one of Dublin's lesser know tombs - this is probably due to the fact that the site does not appear on the current OSI maps.

The small but compact tomb is 1.6 metres in height.  
The portal stones are missing and just three chamber wall stones remain.
The capstone is 2.2 metres and diamond shaped. 

The setting for this site is nothing short of stunning and although it is close to the road getting up close is not so easy.

For visiting you will have two main problems:-
1. You can't see the tomb from the road (trust my map it will bring you close enough to see it-click on the location tab).
2. The terrain, even after a dry spell and on a very hot day was still saturated in parts (also do not wear shorts as the mountain is covered in low gorse).

Access - The road is very narrow so it is important to park carefully. As I have already mentioned, click on the location tab underneath the images and you will find it.

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). 

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.

Burnchurch Castle

Burnchurch Castle is a 15th Century Norman tower house that has aged very well.
Built by the Burnchurch branch of the Fitzgerald family, little of the history of the castle is known.  
The castle is six storeys high and was originally connected to a walled courtyard.
The turret like tower to the left of the castle still has part of a wall showing at the base.  

The interior has a vault under the castle with the main chamber built above it.
Access to the upper floors is via a curved staircase, which is built inside the walls.
Also within the walls are a number of passages which include a secret room on the fourth floor.

The castle was occupied until 1817 and came into state care in 1993 and is now listed as a National Monument.

Access - The site although very close to the road is located on a bad bend.
Parking can be found to one side of the entrance (on a working farm), leaving a small walk to the castle.



   

Kilree Round Tower Church and High Cross

The Round Tower of Kilree could not be in a better setting.
A short drive from the M9 brings you to this peaceful slice of early Christianity.

The round tower which is capless is 28 meters in height.
The doorway is under 2 meters from the built up level of the graveyard.
The tower has 7 windows with 4 located in the bell storey.

The high cross is located at the back of the tower and graveyard, just a short walk across a field.
The cross is made of sandstone and is 2.75 meters in height.
Although well worn you can still see how beautifully the cross was once decorated.

The history of the site is somewhat unknown with both the tower and high cross thought to date back to the 9th Century.
Of the more recent history the Dean of Ossory  transferred the lands to the nearby Priory of Kells in the 13th Century.

Access - Parking is the real problem as the road beside the site is quite narrow.

Kilree is just one of those sites that makes you want to spend some time, so quite and with a really nice atmosphere.      







 

The Three Friars

The Three Friars of County Kilkenny can be found standing high on a hill overlooking a crossroads of the same name. The area's name derives from the murder of 3 friars by Cromwell's soldiers in 1651.

The three granite stone alignment is just under 5 meters in length.
The tallest of the stones is over 1.2 meters in height.
All three stones are whitewashed not uncommon in Ireland for single or stone pair stones, but to my knowledge this is unusual for a stone alignment.   

Access  - The stones can be spotted quite easily from the main Mullinvat to New Ross road (R704). A good marker for the alignment is the wind turbine farm located close by.
Enter the field beside the holy well and a short climb brings you up to the stones.
Also in the field is a boulder burial.

Kells Round Tower

This site is associated with St Columba (also called St Colmcille).
In 806 AD Irish monks from St Columcille’s monastery in Iona Scotland settled in Kells.


The tower is dated to the late 10th early 11th Century and is 26 meters in height.

The tower has a total of 9 windows with the bell storey accounting for 5 of the windows.
The other 4 windows are on what would have been the different floor levels of the tower.

The graveyard of St. Columba's Church has been built up on the side of the towers doorway, but if you take your measure from the road side of the tower it would place the doorway 3.6 meters from the base.

The graveyard also has four high crosses including the unfinished cross in the top image.
I hope to cover all the crosses in Kells in a future post, this will include the relocated Market Cross.

Access - The tower is very visible from the outskirts of the town.
Pay parking can be got right beside the tower.
The entrance to the graveyard is a short walk from the tower.

Roodstown Castle

Roodstown Castle (15th Century) is a fine example of the many tower houses built in Leinster between the 14th and15th Century.

The castle is four stories high and is roofless.
Two of the square turrets are projecting from the castle.   
One of these turrets contains garderobes (toilets), the other has a spiral staircase giving access to the different floor levels and the battlements.
The first and second floor have finely carved windows (15th Century) image No 2 . 
The ground floor is vaulted and just inside the entrance is a murder hole. 

This was my third visit to Roodstown and as on previous visits the castle was locked up, I have read somewhere that a local maybe is the key holder.

Access - The castle can be found a short drive from the M1, I parked close to the farm opposite the castle so as not to block the narrow road.



 


.

Dromiskin Round Tower High Cross and Church

Dromiskin Monastery was founded by Lughaidh a disciple of St Patrick.
The monastery came under attack in 908 from the Irish, the Danes in 978 and again by the Irish in 1043.

The tower is over 15 meters high as a result of the tower being used as a belfry and then recapped.
This has now left the tower with a shrunken look to it.
When viewed from the front this tower always makes me smile.

The Romanesque doorway (missing some stone work) is just under 4 meters from ground level. 

The head of the high cross dates back to the 10th Century- it was grafted onto a granite shaft and base in 1918.

The church ruin dates to the 12th Century with the window dated to the 15th Century.

The more modern St  Ronan's Church of Ireland was built in 1821.
It is now in a dangerous derelict state.

The village of Dromiskin is a short drive from the M1.
When you arrive at the village you will have no problem spotting the tower.
Parking is available right outside the gate of the graveyard.