Fertagh Round Tower Co. Kilkenny

Fertagh Round Tower
County Kilkenny
O.S. Map 60

Location: Easily visible and on a side road just off the west side of the N8 about 3.5 km north of Johnstown and south of Durrow (between Portlaois and Cashel). Because it is so tall and sits on an open plain, it is hard to miss and is an easy on/off the main road. It is signposted as Grangefertagh.

Dimensions: There is no visible offset, though drawings made by the OPW in the late 19th century show two. Circumference at ground level is 5 m giving an external diameter of almost 4.8 m. The badly defaced doorway is 3.3 meters from the ground and faces northeast. It is fitted with a a modern opening, possibly by the OPW in 1879-80, having allegedly lost the original stones to a farmer who used them as firebricks in his kitchen in the mistaken belief that they would protect him from fire. This modern doorway opening is presently fitted with a hinged metal mesh padlocked door. There are five windows in the drum of the tower. Two are angle-headed and three are lintelled. The four angle-headed windows in the bell-storey face the cardinal compass points

Features: The distorted doorway is a sad reminder of just how fragile antiquities are without some sort of legal protection and conservation. The nicely coursed and dressed limestone blocks give a hint of just how well built this tower was. Above the mostly complete cornice, the tower retains a hint of it's conical cap in a few places.

Comments: Given information from other round towers, if this tall straight tower was restored to its original condition, there is no doubt it would be the tallest round tower in the country. In its present state, because of its shallow batter, from a distance it resembles an