Signal Tower (in ruins) — Airghleann

Situated on an N-S running ridge to the N of the summit of Mount Brandon on the N side of the Dingle Peninsula (site 685m OD). The site occupies an exposed high upland location with panoramic views to the W and E in good weather. Located in the gap\saddle between the N slopes of Mount Brandon (952m OD) to the S and Masatiompan (762m OD) to the N. Landscape slopes sharply to the S towards the summit of Brandon but initially gently downwards to N before it rises towards the summit of Masatiompan. The coastline is located c. 1.3kms to the WSW at its closest point. The surrounding area consists of unenclosed rough upland pasture. Site located c. 8.2kms to the ENE of the remains of the signal tower at Ballydavid Head (KE033-027---), and c. 29kms SW of the site of the site of the signal tower (KE013-036----) at Kerry Head, now demolished. An intermediate enclosed barracks site associated with the signal tower network was built between the two adjacent signal tower sites at Rough Point (KE019-007----), located c. 17.1kms to the ENE; this site is now levelled. The site of this signal tower at Brandon is located c. 3.7kms NE of a cashel (KE034-022---) at Baile an Chnocáin, and c. 1.2kms SE of a possible ecclesiastic site (KE025-001001-,) traditionally associated with St. Brendan and indicated as ‘Fohernamangh' on the early Ordnance Survey maps of the site. Site of an early nineteenth-century (c. 1810) two-storey or single-storey over raised basement barracks building associated with the signal tower network with the remains of a surrounding rubble stone enclosure. Possibly originally with a signal mast to site. The site is now consists of mainly of spreads of rubble stone from the collapsed structures although it is still possible to discern the original composition from the extant remains and from the Ordnance Survey maps of the site. These indicate a rectangular-plan enclosure (int. dims 24m N-S x 22m E-W) with remains of square-plan bastions (max Wth c. 2m; survive to max H. of c. 0.9m; site inspection in c. 2014 noted that the bastions appeared to be drystone construction and that the lower courses of the inner face of bastions were visible in places along the W and N sides at this time) to the four corners (NE, SE, SW and NW), and the remains of a collapsed rectangular-plan building to the S side of the centre of the enclosure. This was originally a large T-shaped structure that was probably similar in form to the associated barracks buildings at Bolus Head (KE104-001----) and at Hogs Head (KE105-004----) with a rectangular-plan building with a perpendicular set of freestanding steps used to access a central first floor entrance to the front (to the N\NW in this case). Brandon Head enclosed barracks is indicated on the Ordnance Survey first ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1841-2, as a rectilinear-plan enclosure with a building located slightly to the S side of centre, and is identified as ‘Signal Tower (in ruins).’ The Ordnance Survey second and third ed. six-inch maps, surveyed 1894-8 and 1914-5 respectively, show the site as a rectilinear-plan enclosure containing no buildings, and mark the site as ‘Signal Tower (site of).’ Mould claims that this site was never completed, having been found ineffective due to ‘mountain mists,’ but does not provide a source for this information (Mould 1994, 24). This would contradict Wakefield’s account of the site as being complete but not occupied in 1808, although there is some uncertainty about whether Wakefield is referring to this site or Ballydavid Head Signal Tower to the SW (Wakefield 1812, 70). The site is one of four enclosed barracks of extremely similar form that were constructed around the coast of County Kerry (Kerrigan 1995, 162-3). Although some uncertainty remains about the age of the sites, all four of the enclosed barracks were likely constructed between 1808 and 1812. The sites seem to have been specifically related to the system of signal towers constructed around the Irish coast between 1804 and 1806, added in areas where intervisibility between signal towers had proved difficult. It is not clear if these larger and more complex additions to the system were designed to house larger signal crews, or if they were designed to house the same size signal crews in more comfort than was to be found at the unpopular signal towers. The enclosed barracks were presumably abandoned in 1815, when the signal towers around the SW coast were decommissioned. Compiled by: Stuart Rathbone Uploaded on: 25/07/22