The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-06-30
The Round Towers of Ireland.

Iced, become such n vexed question that QUE h
Those who. have wrieten ,upon this mystery
may be said to, be eliyided into two great 4
parties, Pagan and Christian. To those who
adopt thelatter theory onr thanks are especial
ly due for having made the monumental evil
dence such an important feature in their argu-
ment. As may be expected to Offer some
thing like an opinion one way or the other.
shall endeavor to enpmerate what consldef
the important points to be Observed In these
singular towers without attempting to review I
the arguments already adduced either in favor
think, will deny that one Of tho principal OBJ
jects the round-tower builders had in view was
that Of attaining as great height as the posi-
The Tory example, although the shortest in
Ireland, is, however, as good as any other to
illustrate this point, forit must have required
Of boldness to erect any sort of tower or high
buildfng on such an exposed island, containing |
NO more than 7s5 acres, and these in . narrow !
strip nh susS ty
withal slender structuresf 1t seems to me |
that it was primarily to point ont to the Pill, |
grim and the stranger the seat Of religion ana
other, OF both of which these towers appear to
have been invariably connected: We know
that ireland, in the early ages OF Christianity,
Schools and that foreigners from all parts re-
sorted thither, the venerable Bede says, for
the sake of reading Gods word" Now in those
Of modern iocomotion We're unknown, there
was an obvious necessity for adopting some
means whereby the traveller could shape his
course. The round tower, by its loftiness, was
| in this northern region, the brief duration OF
| daylight during the winter months would
naturally impede the progress of the traveller
country not only strange to e eas
especially useful to the fishermen aud Others
| frequentin& this dangerous coast. Bat even
supposng that the Of these x %yst,SS
q light by night, still the position Of the door
way warrants the conclusion arrived at by
some antiquarians, that they were also used
posed that the "salvage" men, as Spenser
calls them, would quietly submit to annhiia.
ton, and these towers were admirably adapted
settler when beset by the adherents OF the
old superstition. The plundering propensities
of the Danes and petty ehieftains rendered
The strong masonry, the absence of openings
in the lower stage, the small, well-secured
door, the narrow windows, and the opportuni-
to distant friends, appear ali contri7ed to Ell,
feet this object. There can be little doubt tnat
in later times there were many subsidiary ppr,
poses for which the round towers were ion 1n..
we'll suited such as to contain the bell OF bells;
to preserve the sacred utensils and other
valuables of the church, etc; but the question
of design and the origin of the method of con
asu,uch as it seems to have been hitherto re-
f. garded as a mysterious. or, to say the least,
, singular method. And, first, 1T is to he re,
. marked-and it is singular that there should
6 be any necessity to remark-that the round
towers are not the only buildings Of that time
which were constructed upon cuca1ar plan.
Indeed it is doubtful whether there were any
: buildings other than those which were the
e consecrated honses of God (the churches and
0 oratories) that were planned upon the square;
1t was at once the plan of the Druid's temp Q,
tho IN
: or stone fort the clochan or dwellin g.house,
y aud even of the -crannoge or artificial island
and it ,ooud indeed hare been singular Y me .o'eers
!. other plan. Practically speaking, it was ht
d plan Of all others best suited to the demands
s Of the case where height without bulk was re,
n to be especially guarded against for, even
:. as it was. with ali their admirable provisions
% q .ainst the shock of the tempest, we hav'
. more than one record in the FINALS of the dam
e AGE they sustained by wind, by lightning, and
e by thunderbolt. I now come to part OF Tue
ID INQUIRY wh.rs inference fails to throw an!
n light upon the qnestion-Why IN iater LILIES res
u when the Fine Arts were furnishing and tn
!. primitive circular plan had died out IN every
4. thing else when square towers of lofty pro
r. portions, and pyramidai and battleniente'
=. -. belfries were erected, when the intercourse
" nations had spread, and the square aud mas a
3 sive grandeur of the Norman tower, the iott
e. and elegant campanile of the Italians and tn
is graceful spires of the English bad becom
to fnown-why az we see from the details in ye
q existing examples the Irish still continued
is erect copy after copy OF the round TO "er
~ other daysi So late as A. d. 1898 Qf the tou
masters are TO be relied on1 i" the etotethe0oa
~ AnnandorM ,eas erected" OF eourse the wor
ne % cloictheach makes the record doubtful wit
In those who argue that belfry does not necc'
es sarily imply a roaRd tower. Be that as it ma
or we have the architectonic evidence of exstin
ed examples to show that such was the case
ora Kildare and Timahoe, where both towers ha'
Norman or Romanesque doorways, enricht
;,} with cheyron and other CHARACTERISTIC moui
IL ~ ings: and DIR. Petrie, in his very elaoora
lie treatise, taking probably his stand upon u
n documentary as we'll as the monumental eN
re- dence, says that towers of this descripti
IT. were erected at various periods between I
In fifth aud thirteenth centuries. Whether tue
,r- later details are additions To, or contempora
IRE with the rest of the tower, am not prepar
ar to say, not having personally inspected :ht
ty- At g time when the indigenous architect ure
hardly any right to the lame there were no means
AL dist nRush building from another when area
DGh height alike ia therefore. by NO p1eans
al prispr that In Of their oonsecrAted
Thsrc there would be n natural desire 10 MARI .
ference that the temple plan Of the Greeks AhosO
ls boon adopted