Clondalkin Round Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clondalkin Round Tower |
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| Native name Irish: Cloigtheach Chluain Dolcáin |
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| Type | Irish round tower |
| Location | Tower Road, Clondalkin, South Dublin, Ireland |
| Height | 25.6 m (84 ft) |
| Built | 8th–9th century |
| Official name: Clondalkin Tower | |
| Reference no. | 32 |
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The Clondalkin Round Tower (Irish: Cloigtheach Chluain Dolcáin) is a very old and tall tower in Clondalkin, South Dublin, Ireland. It is a type of building called an Irish round tower. This tower was started by a saint named Saint Mochua (also known as Saint Cronan).
Today, the Clondalkin Round Tower is a special place. It is known as a National Monument of Ireland. You can even visit it as a museum, and there's a cafe inside!
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Where is the Clondalkin Round Tower?
The Clondalkin Round Tower is right in the middle of Clondalkin. This area is in South Dublin, just south of the River Camac. It's easy to find in the heart of the town.
A Look Back: History of the Tower
The Clondalkin Round Tower stands where a monastery was first built. This monastery was founded by Saint Mochua in the 7th century. The tower itself was likely built between the 8th and 9th centuries.
It is one of only four round towers left in County Dublin. The other three are in Swords, Lusk, and Rathmichael. The Clondalkin tower is over 25.6 m (84 ft) tall. Experts think it's an early example of a round tower because of how its stones are shaped.
Vikings and Battles
Long ago, in AD 852, the Viking King Olaf the White built a fort here. The monastery was attacked by Vikings in 832 and again in 866.
Another Viking leader, Amlaíb Conung, also built a fortress on this site in the mid-9th century. In 867, a group led by Cennétig mac Gaíthéne, the king of Loígis, burned down this fortress. They defeated many of Amlaíb’s followers.
The area stayed under Viking control for a while. But this changed after the famous Battle of Clontarf in 1014. In this battle, the Irish king Brian Boru defeated the Vikings.
Clondalkin also saw another important battle during the Norman invasion of Ireland. This was a fight between Richard de Clare, also known as Strongbow, and the High King of Ireland Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.
What the Tower Looks Like
The Clondalkin Round Tower is built from local limestone. Because the stones are rough, it suggests the tower is very old. It is also quite narrow, measuring only about 4.04 m (13.3 ft) across at its widest point.
Special Features of the Tower
One very unusual part of this tower is its strong base, called a buttress. This buttress sticks out a lot at the bottom. It's built with a different type of stone than the rest of the tower. This might mean it was added later to make the tower stronger.
In the late 1800s, steps were cut into this buttress. These steps wind around it and lead up about 3.9 m (13 ft) to the tower's doorway. The doorway faces east and is made of granite stones.
The tower has six windows. Four of these are at the very top, pointing in the main directions: north, south, east, and west. There are two other windows lower down, one facing south and one facing west. All the windows have a square shape.
Stone Crosses and Font
Near the tower, you can see two old stone crosses. The smaller cross has both a ringed cross and a Latin cross carved into it. The larger cross is made of granite. It might have been used as a boundary marker or a grave marker a long time ago.
There is also a large granite baptismal font nearby. This font may be from the very early days of the monastery.
