It is quite puzzling how this round tower survived in almost perfect condition when all around it has disappeared. The full height tower, complete with conical roof, now stands in a public park, making the whole place very attractive.
The windows are unevenly arranged, with no pattern to their distribution. Above the door is a nice ringed cross carved in relief. This is one of the better towers that still survive today. It is a shame that nothing else of the monastic settlement that it was once part of managed to hang on so well.
Take the B95 towards Antrim at junction 6. Then follow the B518 north for 1.5km. Turn left at the crossroads and head towards the city centre. The round tower is on the right after about 400m in a park.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |