Killashee Round Tower is an Irish round tower that forms part of the monastic remnants of Killashee,

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

, Ireland. On the Record of Monuments and Places its number is ''KD024-003''.

History

Killashee traces its foundation to the 5th century and is associated with Auxilius, a nephew and companion of

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick ( la, Patricius; ga, Pádraig ; cy, Padrig) was a fifth-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, the other patron saints be ...

, with the Annals of the Four Masters dating its founding to AD 454. Souterrains were also dug during the medieval period. Located on the ancient territory of the Uí Bairrche tribe, Killashee was raided by Vikings in AD 824. In 1035 it was again plundered by Vikings, who also attacked

Clane Abbey Clane Friary, also called Clane Abbey, is a former friary of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual located in Clane, Ireland. Location Clane Friary is located immediately southeast of Clane village, to the north of King Mesgegra's Mound and ...

. The round tower is dated to the 12th or 13th century; it is similar to those at Ferns or

Dungiven Dungiven () is a small town, townland and civil parish in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is near the main A6 Belfast to Derry road, which bypasses the town. It lies where the rivers Roe, Owenreagh and Owenbeg meet at the foot of the B ...

. In the Late Middle Ages it came under the control of the Knights Hospitaller. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries (1539–40) control fell to Thomas Luttrell. Grave in Killashee

The current church dates to the 18th century and was built atop the earlier medieval church. The A-roof line of the old church is visible on the east wall of the round tower. By the 18th century the land was in the hands of the Graydon family, who built a mill, nicknamed "Graydon's Folly", to the north. In 1792 it was visited by

Daniel Charles Grose Daniel Charles Grose (1832 – 1900) was a prolific Canadian-American painter of the Hudson River School who was active between 1864 and 1900. Primarily known for his pastoral landscapes, on occasion he also created marine views. Somewhat at vari ...

who commissioned an engraving by J. Newton. In the mid-19th century the Moore family owned Killashee and built a large

Victorian Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literature ...

mansion; this was in 1927 sold to the

Holy Union Sisters The Holy Union Sisters, officially known as the Sisters of La Sainte Union Des Sacrés-Coeurs (the Holy Union of the Sacred Hearts), are a religious congregation of the Roman Catholic Church founded at Douai, France, in 1828, by Father Jean Baptist ...

for a convent and is today a hotel. The church was in use by the Church of Ireland until it was closed in 1965; some of the memorial plaques in the church were moved to

St David's Church, Naas St David's Church, Naas is a Church of Ireland church in Naas, Ireland. Location St David's Church is located in the centre of Naas, on the east side of North Main Street, southeast of the Moat of Naas. It is not to be confused with Naas's ...

. It is today heavily overgrown and is closed to the public.

Annalistic references

*AD 454 ( AFM): '' Saint Usaille, Bishop of Cill Usaille, in Liffe, died on the twenty seventh of August.'' *827 (AFM): ''Maeldobharchon, Abbot of Cill Uasaille;'' ied*829 (

Annals of Ulster The ''Annals of Ulster'' ( ga, Annála Uladh) are annals of medieval Ireland. The entries span the years from 431 AD to 1540 AD. The entries up to 1489 AD were compiled in the late 15th century by the scribe Ruaidhrí Ó Luinín, ...

): ''Mael Dobarchon, abbot of Cell Usaile'' ied*870 (AFM): ''Loingseach, son of Faeillen, Abbot of Cill Ausaille'' ied *874 (AU): '' Áed son of Niall led an army to Laigin and they profaned Cell Ausili, and other churches were burned with their

oratories Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...

.'' *1035 (AFM): ''Cill-Usaille and Claenadh were plundered by the foreigners; but the son of Donnchadh, son of Domhnall, overtook them, and made a bloody slaughter of them.''

Buildings

In 1837, it was reported that none of the old church was left, but there was a round tower with a square base attached to the west end of the modern stone church. The Ordnance Survey reported that "a few years ago an old castle stood near the Round Tower" but that it had been thrown down and that "the stones of it are yet to be seen." The round tower is small, covering three storeys, and is built of uncoursed granite blocks. It is incorporated into the fabric of the church in an unusual manner, with

St Kevin's Kitchen Glendalough (; ) is a glacial valley in County Wicklow, Ireland, renowned for an Early Medieval monastic settlement founded in the 6th century by St Kevin. From 1825 to 1957, the head of the Glendalough Valley was the site of a galena lead mine ...

in Glendalough being the most similar. There is a graveyard surrounding the tower and church, and a holy well dedicated to Saint Patrick located nearby.

References

{{reflist Christian monasteries in the Republic of Ireland Naas Killashee Christian monasteries established in the 5th century Archaeological sites in County Kildare Church buildings of the Knights Hospitaller 5th-century establishments in Ireland