Standing in the center of Aghagower village graveyard, just 3 meters southwest of the medieval church, this round tower represents one of Ireland’s most historically significant examples due to its strategic location on the famous Croagh Patrick pilgrimage route. Built in the late 11th or 12th century as an expression of monastic prestige, the tower served as a landmark for countless medieval pilgrims walking the sacred path to Ireland’s holy mountain.

Pilgrimage Route and Historical Significance

The round tower’s exceptional importance stems from its location “mid-way along the Togher Patrick, an important medieval pilgrimage route to Croagh Patrick.” The monastery at Aghagower traced its origins to a church allegedly consecrated by St. Patrick himself in the 5th century, making it a site of profound religious significance that naturally evolved into a crucial stopping point for pilgrims.
The tower “would have been one of the most impressive landmarks encountered by pilgrims as they walked the route,” serving both as a beacon guiding travelers and a symbol of the monastery’s spiritual authority. This pilgrimage connection helps explain the monastery’s prosperity and its ability to fund the construction of such an impressive round tower.

Construction and Current Condition

The circular tower measures approximately 5 meters in diameter and currently rises about 16 meters, though it “no longer stands to its full height and is missing its conical corbelled roof.” Built from “coursed, roughly dressed mortared stones,” the structure demonstrates solid medieval construction techniques that have allowed it to survive nearly a millennium despite significant damage over the centuries.

The tower exhibits a slight lean to the north, likely the result of structural stress from the various traumatic events it has endured, including lightning strikes and the major breach that required repair work in 1969 by the Office of Public Works.

Evidence of Fire Damage

The original doorway on the east side at first-floor level provides dramatic evidence of the tower’s turbulent history. Measuring 70 centimeters wide and 1.52 meters high with “a plain round arch formed by three stones,” the entrance is positioned 2.18 meters above exterior ground level following typical round tower design.

However, “the stones are spalled and shattered, possibly as a result of fire,” providing physical evidence of the destructive forces that have affected this structure. This fire damage may relate to the lightning strike documented in local tradition or other historical incidents that threatened the monastery.

Later Modifications

A flat-headed doorway on the northwest side at ground level represents “a late insert” measuring 76 centimeters wide and 1.6 meters high. This modification demonstrates how the tower was adapted for continued use long after its original monastic context had changed, providing easier access when the defensive considerations that dictated elevated entrances were no longer relevant.

Interior Organisation

The tower’s interior reveals sophisticated medieval construction through “five rings of stone corbels [that] protrude at evenly spaced intervals from the internal wall face.” These corbels supported wooden floors and indicate the tower originally contained “at least five storeys above the ground floor”—a substantial interior organization that provided ample space for storage, accommodation, and the bell-ringing activities that were central to monastic life.

Three small square-headed windows at different floor levels face south-southwest (now blocked), west-southwest, and south, providing controlled lighting throughout the structure while maintaining its defensive capabilities.

The Great Lightning Strike of 1838

The tower’s most dramatic historical incident is recorded in the OS Letters of 1838, which document an extraordinary lightning strike that local tradition claimed “blew off the top of it to Teevnish, a distance of about half a mile! where it was to be seen firmly stuck together until a few years ago when the stones were taken away and burned into lime.”

This remarkable account suggests the lightning strike was so powerful that it launched the tower’s cap as a single unit across the landscape, where it remained visible for years as a testament to both the destructive power of nature and the superior quality of medieval Irish masonry that allowed the cap to survive intact even after such violent displacement.

The Surviving Capstone

A tangible link to the tower’s original medieval appearance survives in “the small conical capstone (H 0.4m), which once formed the apex of the roof.” This capstone is now set in concrete adjacent to the modern Catholic church south of the round tower, preserving this crucial architectural element for future study.

“The mortise hole at the top of the stone probably originally held a stone or timber cross,” indicating the tower’s cap was crowned with a Christian symbol that would have been visible from great distances and reinforced the site’s religious significance to approaching pilgrims.

Conservation and Repairs

The Office of Public Works undertook significant repair work in 1969, addressing “a large breach” on the north side of the tower. The location of this repair is marked by “a change in the masonry towards the top of the tower,” providing visible evidence of modern conservation efforts that have stabilized the structure for continued preservation.

National Monument Status

The tower’s designation as National Monument No. 96 in State guardianship ensures its protection and maintenance as one of Ireland’s most historically and culturally significant round towers. This status is particularly appropriate given the tower’s unique role in Irish pilgrimage history and its connection to St. Patrick’s legendary activities in Mayo.