Dysert Round Tower — Carrigeen (coshma By.)

National monument No. 83. Dysert Aenghusa (Diseart Aonghasa) was a monastery belonging to the 'Céile Dé' or 'Client of God' (Ó Carragáin 2010, 308). The monastery was dedicated to St. Aonghas who is also associated with Dyasrtenos (LA013-059001-), Co. Laois (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 383). In the year 1033 the Annals of the Four Masters recorded the death of ‘Conn, son of Maelpadraig, airchinnech [erenagh] of Mungairit [Mungret] and Disert-Oenghusa [Aonghasa]’ (O’Donovan 1856, 827). This reference links the monastery of Mungret (LI013-009001-), Co. Limerick located 13km to the NNE with Dysert-Aonghasa. This Aonghas appears to have been the Aonghas of Tallaght monastery (DU021-037002-) who wrote the metrical martyrology known as Féilire Aonghasa (Ó Riain 2011, 79). The preface added to the Féilire Aonghasa in the late twelfth century recorded details in his life which bring him from a church named after him at Dysert (Diseart Aonghasa), to Coolbanagher (Cúil Bheannchair) (LA008-014001-), a little north of Dysartenos (Diseart Aonghasa), in Laois, where he allegedly began his metrical martyrology, and finally to Tallaght, where he finished the Féilire Aonghasa (ibid.). Aonghas was reputedly buried at Clonenagh (LA017-003001-), Co. Laois, after his death some time between 815-830, his feast day was the 11th of March (Stokes 1905, xxvi). Present remains consist of a multi-period church (LI030018002-), round tower immediately to N with graveyard (LI030-018003-) to S of church as depicted on the 1st ed. OS 6-inch map. Round tower described in 1868 as following; ‘The round tower stands at the north side of the church (LI030-018002-) from the wall of which it is distant ten feet [3m]. It presents an appearance of almost complete symmetry and proportion, the entasis, or batter, being most carefully designed and worked out. Some considerable portion of the upper part is wanting at least one complete storey, and the conical roof-covering as is evident from the fact, that the existing upper storey does not present the usual feature of the four windows facing the cardinal points, as is generally found in perfect examples of these monuments. The tower is based upon a foundation of limestone rock, which crops a little above the surface, the firmness of its substructure accounting for the perfect solidity of the superstructure, and the absence of all cracks and settlements in the walling. The material is limestone; the workmanship is of roughly squared rubble work with few spawls, stones of large size laid in courses, or nearly so, and accurately dressed to the curve, and batter, of tower. The door and window dressings are of sandstone, of a bright red colour and fine quality; the stones are, as usual in round tower opes, remarkably well worked and close jointed. The body of the tower rises from a base, or rather plinth, averaging twelve inches [0.3m] in height, and four inches [0.1m] offset or projection; its present height is sixty five feet seven inches [20m], measured from below the doorway to top of present eave; there is some little irregularity in the height on account of the inequality of the ground at the base. The circumference of the tower measured immediately above plinth, is fifty-four feet [16.45m] ; its diameter at door-sill (internal) is seven feet ten inches [2.4m], where the walling is four feet three inches [1.3m] in thickness ; its diameter at extreme top is five feet six inches [1.67m], and thickness of walling there three feet six inches [1.1m]: these dimensions give the ratio of batter on external face, as about one in twenty-six. I am inclined to think, from the thickness of the walling of this example, that it had been originally two storeys higher, which, allowing eleven feet [3.35m] for each storey, and fifteen feet [4.6m] for the conical roof covering, would make this tower to have been one hundred and two feet [31m] in height ; this inference is only reasonable when we find this structure to have a walling of three feet six inches [1.1m], at the height of sixty-five feet [19.8m], while many other towers are no thicker in the first storey. There are no internal string courses or corbels; the building is divided into five storeys, by four offsets taken off the thickness of the wall, and on which rested the original floors, whether of wood or stone; these offsets average five inches [0.12m] in width. It is worthy of remark, that the height of the storeys is regularly graduated from the bottom by about one foot [0.3m] each storey, the basement storey being actually fifteen feet [4.57m] in height from the external ground, and probably was a little more originally. The upper surface of the door-sill is fifteen feet [4.57m] above present ground line. The ope, is semicircular-headed; the jambs as usual converge towards the top; the dressings are of large blocks of red sandstone; its dimensions are as follow: width of sill, two feet nine inches [0.83m]; width at spring of arch, two feet five inches [0.73m]; height to same, four feet five inches [1.35m]; the internal width at sill is two and a half inches [0.07m] less than external width. There is a breach in the face of the arched head. There is no internal rebate, or any preparation for hanging a door, but there is a square hole or mortice in the centre of the jamb about two and a half inches [0.07m] square. The door faces east, or nearly so. About six inches [m] above the second floor is an angular-headed window, square internally; one foot six inches [0.15m] wide at sill, one foot two inches [0.35m] wide at spring of angular head, and three feet eight inches [1.1m] high from sill to apex. Six inches [0.15m] over third floor is a semicircular-headed window ope facing south, one foot five inches [0.43m] wide at sill, one foot three inches [0.38m] at spring of arched head, and two feet eleven inches [0.9m] from sill to offset. Six inches [0.15m] above the fourth floor is a quadrangular window ope facing north; width at sill, one foot six inches [0.45m]; at head, one foot four inches [0.4m], and two feet six inches [0.76m] in height. The base of this tower was formerly filled up to the level of the sill of doorway. In the year 1849, Mr. Luke Christy, the tenant of the lands of Carrigeen, had it excavated; the result of which he has kindly communicated to me. For the first three feet [0.9m] decayed vegetables, rubbish, dead birds, &c, were thrown out ; from this to a depth of five feet [1.5m] from door sill, earth, with traces of mortar and some stones; at between four and five feet [1.5m] were found a quantity of human bones, imbedded in the earth, without any trace of coffin or covering whatsoever; these bones were in a very decayed state, and belonged to one body ; there were only portions of the skull. Within about six feet [1.8m] of the foundation was found "a well-made, solid floor of clay, cracked a good deal, with whitish marks through it, over a foot thick, and looking as if it had been subject to fire: under this came a sort of red clay filling, and then about two feet [0.6m] from the bottom another floor nearly the same as the first. Just above the rock we got a quantity of cherry stones." In clearing up the bottom it was found the rock was in quite a rough state, the foundation laid on it without any apparent preparation. Mr. Christy further states that some human and a clinker, were found below the second clay floor’ (Brash 1868, 54-9). The monastic foundation, its round tower and multi-period church were described by Harbison (1970, 147-8) as following; 'Near the church is a Round Tower, 65 feet [19.8m] high, with pellets and moulding above the round-headed doorway. When excavated, the floor of the Round Tower was found to contain human bones and a solid clay floor'. (Manning 2010, 107) See attached drawings of round tower taken from Brash 1868 article and photographs taken by the Earl of Dunraven (1877, 22-5). Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 24 April