Round Tower in Killeshin, County Laois

This remains an important historical record, but the official description says the monument is no longer visible or has been destroyed. The monument record does not grant public access. Check the route and ask the landowner before entering private land.

What is recorded here

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A round tower to SW of church (LA032-020002-) (Crawford and Leask 1925, 84) was destroyed in 1703 (Fitzgerald 1910, 189, 198). Fitzgerald (1910, 189) recorded that on 'Monday ye 8th Day of March 1702/3, that day the Steeple of Killeshan undermined and flung down by one Bambrick, imployed by Captain Wolseley, in Three Days Works. 1702/3, 8th March at 3 of the clocke in ye afternoon ye Steeple fell to ye ground, being measured it was 105 feet [32m] high, or in length'. A second reference to the round tower dating from 1709 recorded that 'near the foot of the Mountain stands the old church of Killeshen, of which is a very old building. Here lately stood over again the Doore of the Church, one of the old round steeples which, I am told was very high old and well built, so that when the owner of the place had it fallen, it came to the ground in one solid piece, and was not even by the fall against the ground so broke, but that several pieces yet remain sticking together, so that you can easily discover what this building was. It plainly appears to be of the same building & age with the adjacent Church (LA032-020002-)'. No visible surface remains of any round tower in NW quadrant of graveyard (LA032-020004-). Updated by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 26 March 2015

From the National Monuments Service (Archaeological Survey of Ireland) record LA032-020003

Places near here

Picture notes

A.-K. D., Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Ian Rob, Geograph · CC BY-SA 2.0
liam murphy, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Garry Dickinson, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Computer-made picture. It does not show this playground.
Kk, Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
VisionsofthePast, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Jonathan Billinger, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Nico Kaiser, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

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