What was the purpose of round towers in Ireland?
The most popular theory is that the towers were used for defensive purposes. The monks took their treasures and hid inside the tower where they would be safe from raiders. The doorway, high up in the wall, made it difficult for unwanted guests to gain entry.
What is the oldest round tower in Ireland?
Clondalkin’s Round Tower
Most historians agree that Clondalkin’s Round Tower is the oldest surviving Round Tower in Ireland. Round Towers are a uniquely indigenous form of Irish architecture. This near-perfectly preserved tower is said to be approximately 1000 years old but may in fact be as much as 1200 years old.
Who built the round towers in Ireland?
Irish Christian monks
The ancient Round Towers that dot the Irish landscape were erected by Irish Christian monks and can also be found in areas where they served like the two that stand in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man.
Are round towers unique to Ireland?
Ireland’s only unique contribution to world architecture, the free-standing round tower, survives at some 65 sites with examples in all but four of the 32 counties of this island. Their primary function was that of a belfry – the annals almost always label each one as a cloig-theach (bell house).
Why is it called the Book of Kells?
The name the Book of Kells comes from the Monastery of Kells in what is now modern County Meath. The monastery was founded in 807 by monks fleeing Viking attacks on the western Scottish island of Iona.
Where are the round towers in Ireland?
Mayo’s round towers are at Aughagower, Balla, Killala, Meelick and Turlough, while Kildare’s are located at Kildare Cathedral (which is 32 metres (105 ft) high), and also at Castledermot, Oughter Ard, Taghadoe (near Maynooth) and Old Kilcullen.
Who built the Round Tower Glendalough?
St. Kevin’s monastery
The most famous of all the landmarks in Glendalough is the Round Tower which stands 33 meters above the ground. It was built almost 1000 years ago by the monks of St. Kevin’s monastery.
How many round towers are in Ireland?
The towers were probably built between the 9th and 12th centuries. In Ireland about 120 examples are thought once to have existed; most are in ruins, while eighteen to twenty are almost perfect. There are three examples outside Ireland.