Donaghmore Round Tower and Church

The early ecclesiastical site at Donaghmore, known as Domhnach Mór Maigh Echnach, was traditionally founded by St. Patrick with Cassanus as its first abbot. In the 13th century the church within the enclosure became a parish church, with a second phase of development occurring in the 15^th  century.

The round tower, 26m in height, with its missing conical cap, dates to the 10^th century and was a necessary safety feature for all financially thriving ecclesiastical settlements, as it was where the riches of the settlement were stored in times of attack from the Irish and Vikings. The entrance door is 3m above ground, with a round headed doorway and a carved Romanesque head above. Built of rough limestone, it has unusually decorative stone detailing with carved heads around the door and a crucifixion scene on the keystone. The typical cardinal windows found under the conical cap were blocked up in 1841 by a local landowner.

The cross-slab to the west of the round tower, upright in the wall of the graveyard, is made of sandstone. It shows a carving of a floriated cross that has fleur-de-lis terminals. The cross-slab to the east of the round tower, is made of sandstone with a pointed top that shows lightly incised moulding and incised lines. The southern cross-slab is also sandstone, with a visible rebate down one side.

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This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014