Cloigtheach (Round Tower)

Just outside the SW corner of Kinneigh graveyard (CO094-104003-), on the site of a monastery founded by St Mo-Cholmog. This round tower is comprised of a unique hexagonal base standing to a height of 18 feet (5.48m; Caulfield 1879, 16), with the remainder cylindrical portion of the tower surviving to a height of 67 feet 3inches (20.50m; Crawford 1927, 67). It is built of roughly-dressed slaty stones, and is entered by a lintelled door (H 1.45m; Wth 0,71m tapering to 0.61m) on the NE face of the hexagonal base, at 1st-floor level. It is lit by four small square-headed windows placed at various height (H 0.38m to 0.5m; Wth 0.3m). The tower now survives to six storeys but was originally taller, possibly with an additional floor, and the characteristic conical cap that some round towers display (Ibid.), though that is not a universal feature. An internal ladder leads to the top, which was altered in the 19th century to make a belfry for the adjacent Church of Ireland church. (Coleman 1894, 177-182 and 202-206; Buckley 1905, 135-8). This is a National Monument in State Ownership (no. 618). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cork. Volume 1: West Cork' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1992). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Photographs attached CO094-104002-_01: View of the tower from SE. CO094-104002-_02: View of the tower within the graveyard, from NE CO094-104002-_03: View of the tower from N. CO094-104002-_04: View of the tower and St Bartholomew's Church of Ireland, from SE. CO094-104002-_05: View of the tower from N. CO094-104002-_06: View of the tower from from E. Date of upload/revision: 14 January 2009 Date of last revision: 29 June 2023

Built by an early Christian monastic community associated with St Mo-Cholmog, the round tower at Cloigtheach (Sleenoge) dates to the 10th or 11th century. It features a rare hexagonal base and is a significant example of early Irish monastic architecture, reflecting the religious and cultural heritage of the region.