Sites and Monuments Record · Ireland
Watchtower
Cruagh, County Dublin, Ireland
The record
- Townland
- Cruagh
- County
- Dublin
- Country
- Ireland
- First-edition OS map
- Indicated
- Latest-edition OS map
- Tower
- Coordinates
- 53.25753, -6.30174
- SMR number
- DU025-003003-
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 4 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1790 "Composite: Ireland." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
This record in the National Monuments Service's Historic Environment Viewer ↗
The National Monuments Service's description
Situated in a graveyard (DU025-003005-) on a steep grass-covered knoll, off the Pine Forest Road. A cemetery watchtower built to prevent the robbery of freshly dug graves which consists of a two storey high cylindrical tower (ext. diam. 3.2m), with a parapet level marked by an offset. It is built of roughly coursed granite masonry. There is a lintelled doorway now blocked in the N. The interior is lit by narrow, square-headed opes. Within the graveyard are the remains of Cruagh church (DU023-003001-) and a roughly square-shaped granite font (DU025-003002-). In the 19th century a Rathdown type graveslab (DU025-003004-) showing concentric circles, was discovered here but it has since disappeared (O'Reilly 1901, 184-155; Crawford 1913, 167; Ó hÉailidhe 1957, 86).
Compiled by: Geraldine Stout and Padraig Clancy
Revised upload on: 7 July 2018
References
O'Reilly, P.J. 1901 The Christian sepulchral leacs and free-standing crosses of the Dublin half barony of Rathdown. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 31, 134-161, 248-9.
Ó hÉailidhe, 1957 The Rathdown slabs. Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 87, 75-88.
Crawford, H.S. 1913 A descriptive list of early cross-slabs and pillars. (cont.) Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland 43, 151-69, 261-5, 326-34.
Nearby in the register
- Fontunder 1 mi
- Inscribed stoneunder 1 mi
- Graveyardunder 1 mi
- Ecclesiastical siteunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.