Part 35 - Round Tower, St. Brigid’s Cathedral, Kildare

1 p.; clipping

A clipping of an illustration of the round tower on the grounds of St. Brigid’s Cathedral in Kildare.

The cathedral stands on a location where Saint Brigid (c.451-525) was reputed to have founded a convent in the fifth century. Originally a Catholic cathedral, the site came under the control of the Anglican Church of Ireland following the Reformation. The cathedral fell into disrepair soon afterwards but underwent a near-complete, Gothic-revival style restoration in the late nineteenth century. The round tower dates to about the twelfth century and stands 32 metres (105 feet) high and is the tallest, accessible round tower in Ireland. The original conical roof of the tower was destroyed in the eighteenth century and was replaced with castellations (or decorative parapets) to aid the viewing experience and complement the adjoining cathedral’s architecture.