Kilree Round Tower

On a flat-topped hill, surrounded by pasture. There round tower is located on the W edge of the graveyard (KK027-044002-) of Kilree church (KK027-044001-). According to Carrigan (1905, vol. 4, 45), the name Kilree is derived from Cill Ruidhche, after St Ruidhche, a female saint who is commemorated on the 8th of February. Kilree church and a high cross (KK027-004404-) are located 7m to the SE and 55m to the W respectively. This round tower (H 29.3m; diam. at base 4.86m) is composed of limestone rubble, roughly coursed. An unusual feature, noted by Lalor (1999 (Reprint 2016), 173), are two offsets, visible on the portion of the wall in the field immediately W of the graveyard, which stand on a monolithic rectangular pad-foundation. The only other known example of this is at the round tower (KK031-030003-) at Aghaviller, c. 6km to the S (ibid.). It was entered via a round-headed sandstone doorway with plain relief architrave in the S face. There are three flat-topped windows, with sandstone surrounds, in the tower, facing N, E and W at various levels and four windows at the top of the tower, facing the four cardinal points. When O’Donovan visited in 1839 (OS Letters) a ladder of ropes had been placed in the tower, ‘by which one can easily climb to the top, where a wooden floor is firmly fixed’ (O’Flanagan 1930, vol. 2, 63-4). He describes the tower as being, ‘fifty feet [15.2m] in circumference at the base and nine feet [2.7m] in diameter on the inside. Its doorway sees the south and is round headed, measuring five feet nine inches [1.7m] in height, one foot nine and a half [0.54m]in width at the top and ten feet [3m] at the bottom. The wall is four feet four inches [1.3m] thick. This doorway is constructed of splendid blocks of granite while the rest of the tower is built of limestone. The first story placed under the doorway was dark; the second was lighted by the doorway, the third was lighted by a small window now much injured placed in the west side about twenty eight feet [8.5m] from the ground; the fourth by a small quadrangular window formed of four rude stones and placed on (in) the north side; the fifth by a quadrangular window placed in the east side; the sixth by four quadrangular windows nearly facing the four cardinal points’ (ibid.). Also noted were four other apertures over the sixth story and immediately beneath the destroyed roof of the tower which give the appearance of crenellated battlements. According to O'Keeffe (2004, 148) this battlemented parapet is late medieval in date. At the base of these ‘battlements’ there are a number of large projecting stones around the circumference which probably functioned as drip-stones. A report of the Commissioners of Public Works in 1945-6 states that, 'The strong growth of ivy on the upper storeys of the Round Tower was removed and the whole of the structure overhauled' (OPW Topographical files).

(National Monument No. 76)