What are round towers?
Fewer than two dozen round towers stand mostly intact in Ireland today. It’s estimated that about 120 were built. They are associated with monasteries between the 9th and 12th centuries. They were likely bell towers but may have also served as safe towers where monks could hide when under attack. Some say the door was so high to keep intruders out. The monks would climb up a ladder and then haul the ladder in with them. Maybe so but the intruders might have ladders as well. Despite that, it wouldn’t have been easy with that rounded solid surface. In any case, they are magnificent monuments to the past. I marvel at how those were built in ancient times with such skill that about twenty are still standing.
Round Tower in County Antrim
We visited the round tower in Antrim on our first trip to Ireland in 2010. It’s described as one of the best examples of a round tower in Northern Ireland and it was indeed in excellent condition. The tower, 93 feet high, is all that’s left of an early 10th century monastery. The tower is in the middle of a park. Tom snapped a picture of some soccer (football) players in front of it (above). When they knew we were taking pictures, they hurried off. The photo gives a good perspective on how high that door is. On the back side (pictured below) there is a door/window that is not so high.
There are a couple of interesting things about this site. One, unfortunately, is that it bears quite a bit of graffiti, or it at least it did when we visited.
Below are some closeups of the stone wall and window. We are a little nerdy, being so fascinated by stuff like that. But in case you are too, here you go:
Another interesting thing about this site is the legend of the Witches Stone. There is a large stone near the tower with two holes or indentations. One thought is that it was used by the monks to prepare their meals and to grind grain. But the Irish, storytellers with great imaginations that they are, couldn’t leave it at that. The legend says that a witch, dismayed at the Christian monks building the tower, climbed up and flung herself off the top. She landed on the stone, leaving an impression of one knee and one elbow. These holes are said to be always filled with water. As you can see, they were when we were there (well, you can see one of them, anyway.) It’s called a bullaun stone. A sign at the site states that the witch must have glided part of the way since the stone is a distance from the tower. Well, those kinds of details never hender a good Irish tale!
