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Round Towers
Round towers are found throughout Ireland, many in disrepair but quite a few still in good condition and a very few open to the those of the public willing to make the often arduous climb to the top.
Almost all built between the 9th and 12th century, they are invariably part of larger monastic settlements, usually built close to to the main church at the site.
What were they used for?
There are several theories about their purpose. Most often they are thought to have been a means of defence, acting first as a look-out and then a place in which people and valuables could be removed from danger. Their doors are usually about 10 feet off the ground and would have been accessed by a ladder, which was drawn up once everyone was inside.
Several historians have pointed out flaws in this theory. Not only would they be very conspicuous hiding places, but in almost every case the distance from the ground to the entrance is greater than the distance from the first to the second floor, which would have made it impossible to take a ladder inside. Rope ladders perhaps?
Some believe that there used to be permanant wooden structures giving access to the door, a view supported by the fact that post holes have been found in the vacinity of some tower entrances, and that their real purpose was to act as bell towers, calling people from the surrounding areas to prayer. This might have been true of towers in other places, but there is little or evidence of the presence of bells in Irish towers, so they are generally assumed to have been defensive.
Visiting Round Towers in Ireland
Not all round towers are the same, seeing more than just one is worthwhile as it will give you a sense of the way they changed with the passage of time.
St Canice's, KilkennyThe towers range from 60 to over 130 feet in height. Early round towers are made from rough uncut stone while later examples are more sophisticated with very careful and expert stonework.
Earlier towers, such as the one at Glendalough, in Co Wicklow, almost all have conical rooves, while in later ones, like the one at St Canice's Cathedral in Kilkenny there is access via a door to a roof with a castellated surround.
This tower is open to the public and the views from the top are quite magnificent, though the climb up the steep and winding interior staircase is a stiff one and not for the faint-hearted.
Kilmacdough, GalwayHowever the tower at Kilmacdough, near Gort in Co Galway, is my personal favourite. It is the tallest in Ireland, at 132ft, and is surrounded by fascinating monastic remains and so little visited that you will have to climb over a wall to get in and collect a key from a nearby house to get inside the better preserved of the buildings.
It is somehow easier to imagine the busy but simple and pious lives lived around the towers here than it is when surrounded by piles of tour buses and hordes of tourists as is often the case in Glendalough (though go there too!!).
There is another good early tower at Clonmacnoise, a place well worth visiting for anyone interested in ancient ecclesiastical building and monuments.
Your Comments
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Posted by: Elaine
03 Dec 2007, 08:48
Kilmacdough is just an extraordinary place. It was so worth getting to, the
quiet surroundings and the absence of people (we were the only ones there!)
made it a very special visit for us and one of the highlights of our trip.
Thank you so much for writing about it as we would not have known about it
otherwise.
Suggested Reading
The Irish Round Tower
A well illustrated study of some 73 of Ireland's round towers.
The Ecclesiastical Architecture Of Ireland: An Essay On The Origins Of Round Towers In Ireland
First published in 1845 - source for many other accounts
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