Ruins of Signal Tower — Dawros

Situated at the back of a rocky beech (12m OD) with low lying unenclosed blanket bog with rocky outcrops to the E. Located immediately W of a low vertical rock face and likely constructed on exposed bedrock. The site has unobstructed views in all directions. It was built to be intervisible with the signal tower at Crohy Head (DG056-003----), now collapsed, which is located c. 12.6kms to the NNE and of which the site is visible in clear weather; and the tower at Glen Head (DG080-036----; NIAH No. 40908001), which is located c. 16.3kms to the SW, which is also visible in clear weather. Site located c. 3.8kms WNW of a group of three crannogs (DG064-015----\DG064-026----\DG064-027----) at Kiltooris Lough. A nineteenth-century two-storey square-plan signal tower, built with roughly coursed rubble (int. dims. 4.29m NE-SW x 4.22m NW-SE). The signal tower is collapsed and now consists of low sections of the ground floor level surrounded by and infilled with rubble stone. If the tower has a semi-basement level it is concealed by the rubble inside the building. The tower is positioned with walls facing NE, SE, SW and NW. The SE wall, and parts of the NE wall, are the best-preserved sections of the signal tower and protrude through the rubble spread. The SE internal wall face features the lower parts of two alcoves flanking the base of a central fireplace. The bottom part of a square-section vertical drainage channel is located in the E corner of the building. This is believed to have brought rainwater from the roof to storage barrels in the semi-basement. The presence of these features allow for the original orientation of the tower to be calculated; the first floor door would have been on the NW wall facing the sea, the NE and SW walls would have featured pairs of ground floor and first floor windows, and the rear wall with the fireplaces and chimneystack would have been at the SE. Only the base of the first few courses of the NW and SW walls are now visible, and the external and internal wall faces are concealed by the rubble spread. Modern structure, probably an automated weather station, located a short distance to the E. 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 19th 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 23\08\21 Images: DG064A001----.01.jpg Detail of NE internal corner DG064A001----.02.jpg Detail of NE interior corner DG064A001----.03.jpg View from W DG064A001----.04.jpg View from W