Cloyne Round Tower

Cloyne Round Tower stands in the village of the same name, in County Cork in Ireland.

Irish Round Towers are slender stone towers which were built between the 9th and 12th century. They are generally found in the vicinity of a church or monastery.

Their purpose seems to have been to act as a belfry. However, other purposes are also suggested, like high-status royal chapels, lookout towers, status symbols, defendable places to store religious valuables, hiding places for monks in times of trouble or just markers of religious sites. The lower portion is solid masonry with a single door raised 2 to 3 meters above, often accessible only by a ladder. Usually they originally had a stone conical roof.

This Round Tower in Cloyne is thought to have been built in the 11th century, based on its construction method. Its original stone roof was destroyed by a violent thunderstorm in January 1749. The roof was not repaired but the height of the tower was lowered by almost 2 meters and a battlement constructed in its place.

The Cloyne Round Tower stands in a little closed off garden next to the road. Its interior can not be visited.

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