Mural tower (Historic Town) in Unknown Townland

Geneval's (Genevel's/Genevelles) Tower on the N side of Ross Road was a mural tower on Dublin City wall standing between Pole Gate (DU018-020021-) 100m to the ENE and St Nicholas' Gate (DU018-020022-) 70m to the WSW. This mural tower on the Dublin City walls (DU018-020001-) was described in 1585 as follows; 'From the Pole gate [DU018-020021-] to the towre caled Genevels towre, nowe in Mr. Parkins pocession, is 186 foote [57m] distant, and the wall and rampier agreinge in licke height and thicknis as the other parte of the said wall and rampier aforsaid. The said Geneviels towre is rounde without the wall, and sqware within, three stories hie, with twoe timber loftes, and in the loer storie one lowpe [loop], in the second storie one lardge lowpe, and the wall 8 foote [2.4m] thicke and 12 foote [3.6m] sqware in one waye, and 16 foote [4.9m] another waye, and the towre 46 foote [14m] hie. From Geneviels towre to Saint Nicholas gate [DU018-020022-] is 252 foote [77m] distant, and the wall and rampier agreinge in licke height and thicknis as the other parte of the said wall and rampier aforsaid' (CARD Vol. 2, 552). Substantial remains of Geneval's Tower was recorded during excavations in 1992. Remains comprise a rectangular structure attached on either side to the sections of city wall. It probably had an outer element. This replaced an earlier stone wall built in the early 12th century which had itself succeeded a Viking bank of 10th century date (Healy 1973, 18; Clarke 2002, 21; Walsh 1994, 16-17; Walsh 2001, 112). The Dublin Assembly Roll of 1603-04 recorded that; 'Richard Durninge, gentleman, made Richard petycion to have severall interestes in revercion uppon severall parcelles he holdeth of this cittie, videlicet, the tower near Genevelles Inns' (CARD Vol. 2, 417). The results of excavations undertaken in 1993 by Claire Walsh and Alan Hayden under licence No. 93E0129 were summarised as follows; 'This small excavation was carried out both in and to the south of the area excavated by Claire Walsh and Alan Hayden (No. 59 ). It was carried out as enabling works prior to the construction of an elaborate sub-surface, crypt-like, viewing structure. In order to prepare the site for the earth-retaining walls of the viewing enclosure, some of the 'steps' at the edges of the above excavation cutting had to be reduced in level. Also the unexcavated, southern portion of the tower interior had to be reduced in level by approximately 1m. The results of the exercise yielded no new features, but it provided an opportunity to expose more of the tower walls and the northern face of the pre-Norman wall for photography and detailed elevation drawings. Also, features revealed in the earlier excavation were followed and recorded, in particular a small portion of a foundation structure abutting the tower, thought to possibly be the foundations of Geneval's Inns. The finds included pottery and floor tiles, iron nails and rivets, a small copper alloy 'boss' and several fragments of leather, one worked' (Excavations.ie 1993:060 - Geneval's Tower, Dublin; https://excavations.ie/report/1993/Dublin/0001438/). See attached Speed's 1610 Map of Dublin City showing Geneval's Tower standing on the city walls between Pole Gate labelled No. 39 to the E and St Nicholas Gate labelled No. 45 to the W Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 28 April 2023