Castledermot Round Tower Explained

Building Name:	Castledermot Round Tower
Native Name:	Cloigtheach Dhíseart Diarmada
Native Name Lang:	ga
Map Type:	Ireland Castledermot#Ireland
Location:	Church Lane, Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland
Coordinates:	52.9105°N -6.8349°W
Religious Affiliation:	Church of Ireland
Heritage Designation:	National Monument
Architecture Style:	Irish round tower
Groundbreaking:	10th century
Height Max:	20 m (66 ft)
Materials:	Granite

Castledermot Round Tower is a 10th-century round tower in Castledermot, County Kildare, Ireland. The tower, and the high crosses nearby, are a National Monument.^[1]

Building

The tower is complete, although the original cap has been replaced with battlements.^[2] It is composed of rounded granite boulders embedded in mortar.^[2]

History

Castledermot was founded as a monastic settlement c. 800 AD. The bishop-poet Cormac mac Cuilennáin was buried here in AD 938 and the round tower was probably built around that time.^[3] The community ceased to exist some time after 1073.^[4]

The crosses

There are two high crosses:

The north cross depicts David, the Binding of Isaac and the miracles of Jesus.
The south cross depicts the Arrest of Jesus, Daniel, and Adam and Eve.

Notes and References

Castledermot Round Tower, Megalithic Ireland
http://roundtowers.org/castledermot/index.htm Castledermot Round Tower Co. Kildare
http://kildare.ie/heritage/Grose-Antiquities-1792/castledermot-church-and-round-tower.asp "Castledermot Church and Round Tower"
http://www.chooseireland.com/kildare/castledermot-round-tower-crosses-and-church/ Castledermot Round Tower, Crosses and Church