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Prominently sited on top of what's left of the forested Hill of Allen (OD 676 feet). The mound (KD018-021001-) upon which the tower stands lies only 8m to the east of a sheer cliff-edge formed by the extensive quarry which has removed a significant portion of the Hill to the south, west and north of the monuments. The tower was constructed by Sir Gerald George Aylmer, of Donadea Castle, Co. Kildare, between 1859 and 1863. It is built of limestone, quarried and cut at Edenderry, and brought from there to Robertstown by canal, and carted to the hill by Sir Gerald’s tenants. He promised that their names would be cut as “an everlasting memorial” on the steps of the Tower. There are eighty-three steps, and on each one name is inscribed, making a list in stone of the ancestors of many families still living in the Allen district. An inscription at the top of the stairs reads, “In thankful remembrance of God’s mercies, many and great - Built by Sir Gerald George Alymer, Baronet, A.D. 1860”. According to Killanin and Duignan (1967, 320) the tower 'is said to occupy the site of an ancient tumulus' (KD018-021001-).
Compiled by: Gearóid Conroy, Paul Walsh
Date of upload: 22 March 2014
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