Taghadoe Round Tower and Church

The monastic settlement of Taghadoe was founded by the abbot of Clonmacnoise, St. Tua, known as Ultan the Silent, in the 8^th The building of the round tower was a necessary safety feature for all financially thriving monastic settlements, as it was where the riches of the settlement were stored in times of attack from the Irish and Vikings. The round tower was built from limestone, is 5 storeys and stands at almost 20m tall. The entry door is 3.5m from ground level, with the interior floors made of timber, lit by one window on each level. In the mid-19^th century, the ground floor was used to store coal but this ceased in 1886 when the round tower became a national monument. This round tower is missing it conical cap but is otherwise very well-preserved.

The Church, in the same monastic settlement as the round tower, was built in 1831 after receiving a donation from the Board of First Fruits of £830, as part of the church rebuilding programme, however it was abandoned in 1871, due to a lack of parishioners. The church is a rectangular structure facing NNE to SSW. It was built on the site of an earlier church, of which nothing is visible. The church has four octagonal towers on each corner. Surrounding the church and round tower is a graveyard, containing mostly 17^th and 18^th century burials.

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