Built on exposed bedrock at 12 metres above sea level, this collapsed square tower was once part of an extensive chain of over 80 signal stations constructed by the British Board of Ordnance in the early 1800s. The system formed a continuous communications link from Dublin Bay, running clockwise around the entire Irish coast to Malin Head, designed to warn of approaching French invasion fleets.

Though now reduced to low sections of rubble-filled walls, the tower’s original two-storey structure measured approximately 4.3 by 4.2 metres internally. The best-preserved southeast wall still reveals architectural details including two alcoves flanking what was once a central fireplace, whilst a square drainage channel in the eastern corner would have carried rainwater from the roof to storage barrels in a semi-basement level, now concealed beneath fallen masonry. Based on these surviving features, archaeologists have determined the tower’s original layout: the first floor entrance faced northwest towards the sea, paired windows adorned the northeast and southwest walls on both levels, and the rear southeast wall housed the fireplaces and chimney stack.

The tower’s strategic positioning wasn’t accidental; it was carefully placed to maintain visual contact with signal towers at Crohy Head, 12.6 kilometres to the north-northeast, and Glen Head, 16.3 kilometres to the southwest, both visible in clear weather. Messages between stations were relayed using naval signal posts, creating a rapid communication network along the coast. By the mid-1810s, as the threat of French invasion receded following Napoleon’s defeat, the signal system was abandoned, leaving these towers to gradually succumb to the Atlantic elements. Today, an automated weather station nearby serves as a modern counterpoint to this historic watchtower, which once stood guard over Donegal’s wild coastline.