Kilmacduagh Round Tower At over 34 metres in height, Ireland's tallest round tower totally dominates the monastic complex at Kilmacduagh. We could see the tower from a good distance away as we approached the site. This rather unique monument has a number of very distinctive features. There are a total of 11 angle-headed windows present in the tower, some of which have been restored. Probably the most obvious feature of the tower is the very noticeable lean, over 1/2 metre, towards the south-west. The conical cap, which collapsed in 1859 and restored in 1878, overhangs the drum slightly. The walls of the tower are believed to be almost 2 metres thick at the base. Because of the thickness of the walls and the height of the tower we were not surprised to learn that the monument has a diameter of over 5.5 metres. Amazingly the foundations are only 60 centimetres deep. Another rather striking feature is the height of the doorway. It stands at over 8 metres above ground level. This raises the unanswered question about access to the tower -obviously they did not use a 8 metre high wooden ladder and it would have been quite a feat to scale the tower using a rope ladder. Sadly the weather changed for the worst during our visit, but hopefully we will drop by Kilmacduagh again in the near future. |
The leaning tower |
Situated: From Gort in Galway head southwest on the R460 for 6 kilometres. Discovery Map 52: M 4046 0009. Last visit April 2012. Longitude: 8° 53' 16" W Latitude: 53° 2' 54" N Photos: Jim Dempsey and Deb Snelson. |
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Approx date: 11/12th Century Dimensions: Height 34.8 m. Diameter: 5.7 m Door: Above ground 8 m. Type: Round |
Windows: Eleven. All angle-headed. Features: Height of doorway, 6 windows in the bell-storey. Cap: Conical, restored. |