Castledermot round tower
Photo: Andreas F. Borchert · CC BY-SA 4.0
Round tower

Castledermot round tower

Round tower at Castledermot monastic site.

  • AccessNot confirmed
  • National MonumentIn State care
  • MedievalIn the record
  • FolkloreNone recorded
  • PhotoWikimedia Commons
Castledermot, Co. Kildare52.91046, -6.83494
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Unofficial guide. Not the National Monuments Service, the OPW, Fáilte Ireland or the landowner. Disclaimer

At a glance

  • TypeRound tower
  • Date or period mentionedmedieval
  • Recorded sizeint diameter 2.5m; wall Th 2.37m
  • StatusNational Monument

What to look for

  • Windows
  • Church beside

Picked out from the Archaeological Survey description below.

Can you visit?

  • No source says it is open to the public.Most monuments in Ireland stand on private farmland.
  • Ask the landowner before crossing fields, close gates, leave the stones as you find them.Visiting responsibly
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History and description

National Monument No. 471. The lower portion of the round tower survives (H. c. 20m).

Full archaeological record 119 words

National Monument No. 471. The lower portion of the round tower survives (H. c. 20m). It is of granite with limestone pinnings (int diam. 2.5m; wall Th 2.37m). There are five floors with medieval crenellations above two string courses, but the modern floors do not correspond to the original levels. The entrance is at ground level through a flat lintelled battered doorway. There is an arched window on the first floor, and a flat headed windows between the second and third floors. The windows at the top, and the crenelations are of sixteenth century date. It is joined to the church by a vaulted corridor with wicker centring, of fifteenth century type. (Bradley et al. 1986, vol. 2, 97-8)

Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Compiled by Gearóid Conroy · Updated 5 November 2015. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.

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      Around Castledermot round tower

      Other heritage nearby

      Recorded within 5 km

      Walks and trails

      • Mullaghreelan Wood - Rath walkWalking Trail · 2.0 km · nearest point 3.4 km
      • Mullaghreelan Wood - O'Tuathaill walkWalking Trail · 2.0 km · nearest point 3.4 km
      • Oak Park LoopWalking Trail · 3.7 km · nearest point 6.5 km

      Outdoors, towns and places to stay

      • Mullaghreelan WoodForests · 3.9 km
      • CastledermotWalled towns · 0.2 km
      • TimolinWalled towns · 8.5 km
      • Martinstown HouseHistoric stays · 22 km

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