Kinneigh Round Tower
The round tower of Kinneigh in County Cork in Ireland is one of only two surviving round towers in the county, which originally had at least six round towers. The round tower, which was built in the 11th century at the latest and partially destroyed, stands on a hexagonal base that is unique for round towers and is around 5.7 m high . Another special feature is an intermediate floor made of stone on the lowest of the five floors .
The tower stump is over 20 m high. Its base diameter is a maximum of six meters. The door sill in the northeast is 3.24 m high. It is one of only eight round towers with a straight lintel over the four window openings and the door. This construction speaks for an emergence between 950 and 1050, i.e. in the first century of the round tower construction on the island. In the case of Kinneigh, the temporal and spatial proximity of the double-walled ring fort Cahervagliair Fort must be taken into account. The tower could have been built in parallel with the dun , which was used between 800 and 1000. Brian Boru is believed to have been held hostage here between the ages of 8 and 16.
In the 18th century the tower was raised to accommodate a bell.
See also
literature
- Henry S. Crawford: The round tower of Kinneigh, Co. Cork. In: Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 57, 1927, pp. 67f.
- Brian Lalor: The Irish Round Tower: origins and architecture explored. Collins Press 1999.
- Tadhg O'Keeffe: Ireland's round towers: buildings, rituals and landscapes of the early Irish church. 2004.
Web links
- Description (Engl.)
Coordinates: 51 ° 45 ′ 54.2 " N , 8 ° 58 ′ 24.5" W.