Dursey Watch Tower — Tilickafinna (dursey Island)

Situated on a hilltop to the SW side of the centre of Dursey Island, c. 550m SE and c. 550m NW respectively of the coastline to either side of the island (OD c. 263m). Located on a narrow area of level ground at the top of the hill with steep slopes to the NW and SE. The surrounding area consists of unenclosed rough pasture with some sub-rectangular fields enclosing rough pastureland, and defined by generally linear earthen banks, located a short distance (c. 70m) to the S. The adjacent stations in the signal tower\station chain are found at Bolus Head, Kerry (KE096-024), located c. 23.95kms to the NNW (or at Hog’s Island\Scariff Island, Kerry (KE105A004----), located c. 15.145kms to the N, which may never have been constructed although a signal station was initially planned to be constructed here), and at Black Ball Head (CO127-028002-), located c. 11.63kms to the E. Signal station on Dursey Island is located c. 1.7kms WSW of Kilmichael Church (CO126-009002-), a medieval church site with an associated burial ground (CO126-009002-). An early nineteenth-century (c. 1804-5) two-storey over partial basement level square-plan signal station\tower (ext. dims. c. 5.82m NE-SW x c. 6.12m NW-SE; wall T c. 0.77m), built with randomly coursed rubble stone masonry. There are flush roughly-squared quoins to the corners and a slight base batter to the semi-basement level. The walls of the signal tower face to the NE, SE, SW, and NW. The signal tower is well-preserved and survives to its full height (H c. 11.5m). Rendered chimneystack to the centre of the NE elevation. The exterior retains sections of lime mortar and evidence of slate cladding, which survives in limited sections (mainly to the upper sections around the bartizans and to the interior face of some sections of the parapet wall). A square-headed doorway is located to the centre of the SW elevation at first floor level, which retains a cut stone lintel over and a projecting cut stone sill\threshold to the base. This doorway would have been originally accessed via a retractable ladder. The doorway is protected by a rectangular rubble stone machicolation over supported by three stepped cut stone corbels. Bartizans are located on the N and E corners each supported on three stepped cut stone corbels. The parapet wall survives to full-height to most elevations and some sections of cut stone coping survives insitu. The NW and SE elevations each feature two square-headed window openings at both ground and first floor levels. Some of the window openings, mainly at first floor level, retain cut stone sills and lintels; sills to ground floor openings now mostly removed. The window openings splay outwards to the interior. The NE elevation features the impression of a now demolished single-storey gabled addition. A freestanding small single-storey rubble stone square-plan building (ext. dims c. 4m NW-SE x c. 4m SW-NE), with evidence for a now-collapsed mono-pitched roof, is located at short distance (c. 4m) to the NE of the tower, sharing the alignment of the elevations with the signal tower\station. This may be a later addition to the site. The signal tower is located to the SW end of a poorly-preserved rectangular enclosure (ext. dims c. 12.2m NW-SE x c. 20m SW-NE) with an additional enclosure (ext. dims. c. 24.3m NW-SE x c. 29m SW-NE) to the SW of the station\tower that has a rounded end to the SW boundary, which are defined by mainly now-collapsed rubble stone boundary walls. Kerrigan established that the signal mast had been erected and the signal tower completed by 1805 (Kerrigan 1995, 278). Hamilton’s 1806 map depicts the signal station\tower located in this narrow rectangular enclosure with a rounded end at the SW (Kerrigan 2003, 37). The Ordnance Survey first ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1841-2, depicts the signal station\ tower as a long rectangular building, which may represent the signal station\tower and the attached gabled single-storey addition (now demolished) to the NE elevation. The Ordnance Survey third ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1926-37, shows the same long rectangular structure; it is conjectured that this depicts the signal station\tower and the freestanding structure located to the NE. The Ordnance Survey first ed. six-inch map also shows a small rectangular building to the exterior face of the NW section of the boundary wall. This building is not shown on the Ordnance Survey third ed. six-inch map, suggesting it was demolished by the early-twentieth century. An ‘Eire 32’ sign, dating to the World War II-era, is located in the landscape c. 120m W of the signal station\tower. The signal tower was part of a system of over 80 signal stations constructed by the British Board of Ordnance in the first decade of the nineteenth century to warn of the approach of a French invasion fleet. Signalling between sites was accomplished using a naval signal post. The system formed a continuous chain from Dublin Bay running clockwise all the way around the coast to Malin Head in County Donegal. It was abandoned by the mid-1810s when the threat of a French invasion diminished (Kerrigan 1995, 157-66). Compiled by: Stuart Rathbone Uploaded on: 15/09/22 (revision)