Armoy

Round Tower

The round tower at Armoy is situated in the graveyard of St Patrick's, C of I, Church. The modern church is built on the site of a medieval church, within an Early Christian enclosure. Traditionally it is believed the site was granted to St Patrick who made St Olcan the first, and only known, Bishop of the diocese in 474 CE. Apart from the round tower and two souterrains, discovered during excavations, nothing else remains from the early period. The curvature of the road around the church grounds give an indication of the extent of the early enclosure.

The round tower, built from roughly dressed sandstone, survives to a height of only 10.8 metres even though the top courses were rebuilt in the 19th century. No windows are present in the drum meaning the tall narrow doorway is the only interesting feature. The ground level around the tower has risen over the years, leaving the well worn sill of the doorway just 1.6 metres above ground level. You can clearly see in the image below right, that a number of the jamb stones have been replaced. I particulary like the large lintel stone, a round-headed arch has been cut into it, with a slightly raised band simulating an arch. Overall this gives the doorway an impression of a romanesque arch, which helps to date the tower. Several putlog holes are also present in the drum.