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Description
All images © 2005-2014 Flash and Flair Photography, Ireland
This image may NOT be used/copied/stored/saved/republished by anyone
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Irish round towers are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man. Though there is no certain agreement as to their purpose, it is thought they were principally bell towers, places of refuge, or a combination of these.

Generally found in the vicinity of a church or monastery, the door of the tower faces the west doorway of the church. In this way it has been possible to determine without excavation the approximate site of lost churches, where the tower still exists.

The only tangible remnant of the early Christian foundation at Lusk is the Round Tower. It stands 27m high (originally some 32m high) which retains its original conical cap or so it seems, as the modern trap-door onto the rooftop suggests otherwise. Inside are nine ‘floors’ including the basement, which are likely to be due to unrecorded ‘improvements’ in or after the middle ages. The flat-headed doorway, which originally would have been some 15 ft above the ground is now less than 1m above ground level. The tower either sunk or was buried some 4m over the centuries. The Round Tower is adjacent to a Norman square tower built against it in the 15th century. This building has three matching towers at its corners. The square tower holds several medieval tombs including that of James Bermingham (1527) and the double-effigy tomb of Christopher Barnewell and his wife Marion Sharl (1589).

The Round Tower at Lusk was built by 9th century Christians in an attempt to foil the Vikings, who were interested not only in the easy pickings but also the inhabitants themselves as a source of slave labour. The entrance door to Lusk Round Tower, as with all such towers, was originally 4-5m above ground. Ladders were used to reach the entrance and then pulled up. (Refer to similar Round Towers at inter alia Glendalough, Ardmore, Clonmacnoise.

Description
All images © 2005-2014 Flash and Flair Photography, Ireland
This image may NOT be used/copied/stored/saved/republished by anyone
Do NOT PIN, SHARE or LIKE on any social media
=========================================================================================
Irish round towers are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man. Though there is no certain agreement as to their purpose, it is thought they were principally bell towers, places of refuge, or a combination of these.

Generally found in the vicinity of a church or monastery, the door of the tower faces the west doorway of the church. In this way it has been possible to determine without excavation the approximate site of lost churches, where the tower still exists.

The only tangible remnant of the early Christian foundation at Lusk is the Round Tower. It stands 27m high (originally some 32m high) which retains its original conical cap or so it seems, as the modern trap-door onto the rooftop suggests otherwise. Inside are nine ‘floors’ including the basement, which are likely to be due to unrecorded ‘improvements’ in or after the middle ages. The flat-headed doorway, which originally would have been some 15 ft above the ground is now less than 1m above ground level. The tower either sunk or was buried some 4m over the centuries. The Round Tower is adjacent to a Norman square tower built against it in the 15th century. This building has three matching towers at its corners. The square tower holds several medieval tombs including that of James Bermingham (1527) and the double-effigy tomb of Christopher Barnewell and his wife Marion Sharl (1589).

The Round Tower at Lusk was built by 9th century Christians in an attempt to foil the Vikings, who were interested not only in the easy pickings but also the inhabitants themselves as a source of slave labour. The entrance door to Lusk Round Tower, as with all such towers, was originally 4-5m above ground. Ladders were used to reach the entrance and then pulled up. (Refer to similar Round Towers at inter alia Glendalough, Ardmore, Clonmacnoise.