Inishkeen Glebe Round Tower

The Inishkeen round tower is the only structure remaining of this early monastic site, founded by St. Daig mac Carell in the 6^th century. The simplicity of the round tower, with its plain lintelled doorway, suggests this was built in the early 9^th century. As it stands today, the round tower is 12.8m tall with an external circumference of 4.85m. The rebuilt entrance doorway is 4.1m from ground level, with noticeable modification to the tower’s upper floors. Inishkeen round tower served as a belfry into the late 19^th century, and today is missing its conical capstone.

St. Daig’s monastery at Inishkeen is first recorded in The Annals in 685AD. In 789AD and 984AD the monastery was raided, sacked and burned by the Vikings. Inishkeen monastery burned for a second time in 1166AD. In 1539 the Act for the Dissolution of Greater Monasteries saw the compulsory closure and abandonment of monasteries. These Acts were used by Henry VIII to weaken Rome and seize their vast wealth for Henry’s own.

The present church, built in 1854, stands on the site of an earlier church which was noted to be in a ruin by 1622. Three mausoleums are housed in and near the church with the earliest commemorating Ardell Mac Coll Mac Mahon, 1672.

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