Martello tower

The National Monuments Service's description

Irelands Eye Martello Tower No. 3 (Kerrigan 1995, 174). According to Kerrigan (1995, 168) construction of the Dublin area Martello Towers and their batteries commenced in 1804 under the supervision of Colonel Benjamin Fisher of the Royal Engineers and by December 1805 all towers were armed and complete. Kerrigan (ibid., 174) recorded that; 'Twelve towers were constructed north of Dublin: each tower mounted one 24-pounder, apart from the tower on Ireland's Eye with two 24-pounders. No batteries were constructed with these towers'. This Martello tower is built on a rock outcrop at the NW end of the island. It was built c. 1804 as a 'Two Gun Tower' to command the anchorage and the approaches to Howth and was the largest example in north county Dublin (Bolton et al. 2012, 154). It has a basal plinth. A raised doorway on S side has dressed limestone jambs and is defended by a machicolation. There are small opes on the E and W sides. It is a well-preserved example and is the only site to retain all of its original 1805 Board of Ordnance boundary stones (ibid).

See attached plans of Irelands Eye Martello Tower No. 3 courtesy of the Irish Military Archives - Archival Reference Code: IE/MA/MPD/ad134122-008 & IE/MA/MPD/ad134122-006

See attached photograph of Martello Tower on Ireland Eye cc-by-sa/2.0 - © sarah gallagher - geograph.org.uk/p/918483

Photo © Caroline Flatt (cc-by-sa/2.0)

See attached Taylor's 1816 Map showing the location of the Martello Tower.

Taylor, J. 1816 Taylor's map of the environs of Dublin: extending 10 to 14 miles from the castle, by actual survey, on a scale of 2 inches to one mile.

Compiled by: Geraldine Stout

Updated by: Christine Baker

Revised by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of revised upload: 24 January 2023

References

Kerrigan P.M. 1995 Castles and fortifications in Ireland 1485-1945. Cork. The Collins Press.

Bolton, J., Carey, T., Goodbody, R., and Clabby, G. 2012 The Martello Towers of Dublin. Dublin. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Fingal County Council.