Round towers have sometimes been described as having the function of being a refuge for monks during times of viking siege but likely never served this role - vikings were very good at marauding and pillaging and having an entrance door a few metres off the ground would likely not have been a deterrent. The shape of the tall, thin structures, often over 30m high with window openings would have served to funnel fire upwards through the interior of the tower. Also, vikings can use ladders.

From an engineering or architectural strength viewpoint, having the door a few metres from the ground where the tower sits into the soil (with very shallow foundations) means the building is more likely to stay upright.

Taghadoe as seen here in my video is one of County Kildare's five round towers, it probably was never finished and didn't have a roof. It reaches almost 20m above the ground and had a carving, now almost not visible, above its door. Like most round towers it dates to between the year 900 and 1100AD making it approximately 1,000 years old.

Right beside the round tower is a church, a former Church of Ireland church that is also now disused. It has unusual crenellations for finials, an unusual architectural detail.

I stopped by here on a bright November evening after I had been photographing in County Kildare.

Enjoy the short video and sunshine on the stonework.

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