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. 

   
 

Claregalway Friary

The vast ruin of Clairegalway Friary stands overlooking the river Claire as you leave the village of Clairegalway travelling north on the N17.

The Friary dates back to the 13th Century and was built by John de Cogan.
The Franciscan community lived under the patronage of the de Cogan clan until 1327, when
de Cogan gave them the building and surrounding lands.

The following years saw the friary flourish in numbers and wealth.

The ruined state of the friary is mostly a result of two major happenings in the 16th Century.
In 1538 Henry VIII sent Lord Leonard Gray to Galway.
It is recorded that the friary at Claregalway was rifled by Gray’s troops on their way to Galway.
In 1589 Sir Richard Bingham, the English governor of Connaught,  cleared the friary and used the building as a barracks.

By 1641 the Franciscans had returned to the friary.
A failed attempt was made to rebuild.
From then on their numbers declined so that by 1838 the friary was down to two members.    

In 1892 Lord Clanmorris donated the property to the Commissioner of Public Works

The Franciscan friary consists of a nave,choir, north aisle and transept. 
The square bell tower is the most striking feature of the friary and is dated to the 15th Century.
It is 24 meters in height.
All other parts that survive today of the structure were built in phases during the friary's time of prosperity.

Access - The friary can be spotted from the main road (on your left) as you leave Claregalway heading north on the N17.
Parking can be found in the car park which is right beside the graveyard and ruin. 

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.

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.

Kilcoona Round Tower

Kilcoona derives it's name from the saint Cuana who founded a monastery on this site in the 7th Century.
Saint Cuana is noted as one of the ancient Irish writers.  "The Annals Of Cuana" are attributed to him.

The round tower is dated from the 12th Century.
The tower is 3 meters high.
The most striking feature of the tower are the massive blocks of dressed limestone.
Some of these stones have been cut into each other.
The tower as you find it today is half overgrown and nearly filled to the tip with rubble.

Access - The tower is located in the beautiful kept graveyard of Kilcoona village.
Parking is not a problem.
Galway has bigger and more famous towers but Kilcoona is well worth seeing for the unusual stonework and well kept graveyard.

Aghaviller Round Tower and Church

The tower and church of Aghaviller can be found a short drive from exit 10 of the M19.
Built from sandstone the tower is just over 9.5 meters in height.
The doorway is set 4 meters from ground level.
The tower rests on a square stone plinth which is a feature that can only be found at one other tower (the near by Kilree).
The ground level doorway is a much later addition, added for help in the installation of a bell.
Dating of the tower is unknown, but the site has close ties with St Brennain

The church is dated 12th Century but was greatly altered in the 15th Century when a
residential tower was added.
The top of the church can be accessed via a stairway.
Mass was celebrated at Aghaviller as recently as 2008.

Access - The site is located just off the R701 on a very bad bend.
The church is very visible from the road and parking can be found driving up the lane way to the site.
This is a quite and peaceful graveyard but the proximity of the dense forest to the site can make it a little unsettling at times.
Aghaviller is probably the least well known of Kilkenny's round towers but should be added to your itinerary along with the others.    

Turlough Round Tower

Turlough Round Tower is a well kept but a somewhat squat looking tower.
It is claimed the tower may date back to the 9th Century, but recorded documentation of the tower came much later in the 17th Century.  
The tower compared to others is a smallish 23 Meters tall.
The arched doorway is just under 4 meters above the ground level, but has been blocked up with mortared stone.
There are four windows at different levels, with four more at the top just below the cap.   
The OPW are said to have carried out repairs on the tower in 1880 which included re capping the tower.

The church is dated from the 18th Century but it incorporates a window and plaque which both date back to the 16th Century.

Access - You can see the tower from the N5, parking is not a problem.
The graveyard is quite steeply sloped in parts, so mind your footing.    
 

Ardmore Round Tower

Ardmore is not alone home to this impressive complete Round Tower, but also this superb site has a Cathedral, an Oratory and two Ogham stones.

The round tower is just under 30 meters high and is thought to date back to the 12thCentury.
The four floored tower is made of sandstone and has a total of  7 windows, with the doorway just shy of four meters from ground level.
The cap of the tower is not the original - the replacement gives the tower looking like something that is about to take off from NASA.

St Declans Oratory (second last image on right) which gets its name from the 5thCentury saint is said to be the site of his grave. 
The church which is said to be the oldest structure on the site was restored by the Bishop of Waterford  Thomas Mills in 1716. 

The Cathedral dated 12thCentury has on its west gable panels which depict some scenes from the bible.
Inside the cathedral you will find two Ogham stones located in sheltered spots protected from the elements.

Access - Because of the tower you will see this site well in advance. 
It is well signposted from the N25 Dungarvan Youghal road.
The R673 will bring you right up to the tower.