10th C. – Round Tower, Kilmacduagh, Co. Galway

Irish builder and engineer

An unusual round tower with several unique features – the doorway is extremely high off the ground; there is a number of windows around the top; and the conical cap sits not atop a cornice, but overhangs the tower shaft.

The round tower is notable both because of its height but also because of its noticeable lean, over half a metre from the vertical on the southwest. The tower is over 30 metres tall, with the only doorway some 7 metres above ground level. The tower probably dates from the 10th century.