Unofficial guide. Not the National Monuments Service, the OPW, Fáilte Ireland or the landowner. Disclaimer
At a glance
- TypeRound tower
- Date or period mentioned17th century
What to look for
- Windows
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
History and description
Maps of Tuckey (1545), Hardiman (c. 1601), Speed (1610) and Pacata Hibernia show circular steeple to E of St Fin Barre's cathedral (Bradley et al.1985, 52). A French traveller described it in 1644 as 100ft in height; it was damaged during the siege of Cork in 1690 and fell entirely in 1738 (Barrow 1979, 71).
Full archaeological record 97 words
Maps of Tuckey (1545), Hardiman (c. 1601), Speed (1610) and Pacata Hibernia show circular steeple to E of St Fin Barre's cathedral (Bradley et al.1985, 52). A French traveller described it in 1644 as 100ft in height; it was damaged during the siege of Cork in 1690 and fell entirely in 1738 (Barrow 1979, 71). According to Barrow (ibid) illustrarion on late 17th century monstrance (see ill. Hurley 1881) shows tower with 'a broken top and six windows vertically in line above a round-headed doorway'. Generally regarded as a genuine round tower (Bradley et al. 1985, ibid).
Archaeological Survey of Ireland, National Monuments Service (CC BY 4.0) · Updated 14 January 2009 · Based on the Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 2: East and South Cork. It describes the site as it was when surveyed.
Folklore and traditions
More round towers nearby
Also recorded nearby
Named sites within 5 km with only a short entry in the Archaeological Survey.
- St Johns ChurchChurch · Cork City · 0.6 km · official record
Visitors' notes
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Around St Finbarres Tower
Other heritage nearby
- St Mary Del Nar-St Michaels ChurchAncient church · 0.1 km
- Dominican PrioryAbbey or friary · 0.1 km
- St Lawrences ChurchAncient church · 0.2 km
- St Nicholas ChurchAncient church · 0.3 km
- Red AbbeyAbbey or friary · 0.5 km
- St. Finbarr's South ChurchAncient church · 0.6 km
Recorded within 5 km
- 26 standing stonesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 19 ancient churchesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 11 ringfortsArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 7 holy wellsArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 4 abbeys & friariesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
- 4 castlesArchaeological Survey of Ireland
Walks and trails
- Ballybrack Woods TrailWalking Trail · 1.2 km · nearest point 3.6 km
- Ballincollig Gunpowder Trails - Military TrailWalking Trail · 6.5 km · nearest point 7.3 km
- Ballincollig Gunpowder Trails - Powdermills TrailWalking Trail · 4.4 km · nearest point 7.6 km
Outdoors, towns and places to stay
- FountainstownBeaches · 18 km · Good Quality (2025)
- WhiteBay Beach Whitegate MidletonBeaches · 18 km
- CorkWalled towns · 0.4 km
Other attractions nearby
- Cork City LibraryAttraction · 0.4 km
- The National MonumentAttraction · 0.4 km
- Red AbbeyAbbeys and Monastery · 0.5 km
- Pick Your Own Path Walking Tour by Hysterical HistoriesWalking · 0.5 km
What's on nearby
- Cork Zine Fest Residency/Festival/Workshops2026-11-05 · 0.4 km · free
- Disco Pigs by Enda Walsh2026-11-05 · 1.1 km
- Cork Zine Fest Residency/Festival/Workshops2026-11-06 · 0.4 km · free
Excavations nearby
- 02E0947 Ballinaspig More 4, County CorkRoad-scheme excavation report (TII) · 4.8 km
- 02E1033 Ballinaspig More 5, County CorkRoad-scheme excavation report (TII) · 4.9 km