Tower

Located on a ridge, with a fall of ground to E and S, overlooking the valley of the Castlebar River. It stands immediately adjacent to a church (MA070-144001-) within a graveyard (MA070-144008-). This round tower is a National Monument in state ownership (No. 100). It is the only surviving visible remains of an early medieval monastery known to have existed at Turlough. The circular tower (base diam. c. 5.5m; H c. 22m) is built of sandstone rubble. It has a rather squat appearance, having one of the lowest heights of known towers. An offset (Wth 0.1m) is visible at the base of the tower on the SW side, where there is a natural fall in ground level. The original round-arched doorway (Wth 0.7m at base, 0.58m at springing of arch; H 1.83m) is at ESE, 3.96m above the external offset, and is now blocked up. Below this, there is another later opening (Wth 0.58m; H 0.95m), at a height of 1.15m above the current ground level, also blocked up. The uppermost storey is lit by four angle-headed windows located immediately beneath the roof at NNE, ESE, SSW and WNW, and lower levels are lit by four lintelled windows, located in descending order at ESE, NNE, WNW and SSE. A drawing by Bigari, dated to 1792, shows the original conical, stone-built cap in a ruinous state; it was rebuilt by the OPW in the late 1800’s. (Barrow 1979, 160-2). Attached images: MA070-144002-_01 viewed from W MA070-144002-_02 viewed from SE; original round-headed door, now blocked up, is visible, with a later flat-headed door, also blocked-up, beneath. The S transept of the church almost touches the tower Compiled by: Jane O'Shaughnessy Date of upload: 15 December 2020

The round tower at Turlough was likely built between the 9th and 12th centuries by a monastic community, possibly associated with the nearby church. It is a typical example of early medieval Irish ecclesiastical architecture and is significant as a rare surviving structure of its kind in the region.