dromiskin round tower

the church is alleged to have been founded by St. Patrick, but it is more likely that it was his disciple Lughaidh (died 515-16) who founded the monastery. St. Ronan, who cursed Suibhne Geilt and caused him to go mad, was abbot here and died of the great plague in 664. The High King, Aedh Finnlaigh, died here in 876. The monastery was plundered by the Irish in 908, by the Danes in 978 and again by the Irish in 1043. The Round Tower and a High Cross still survive from the old monastery. The round Tower and a High Cross still survive from the old monastery. The Round Tower, which is 55 feet high, has a round-headed doorway which originally has columns supporting the arch. The two rectangular windows at the top as well as the conical roof are modern, dating to 1879. To the east of the tower are the remnants of a High Cross which has been re-erected in modern times on a granite base and shaft. There is a Celtic whirl on the west face of the cross. The east face has a central square panel at the intersection with a knot out of which grow beasts who devour others; to the left is a hunting scene, to the right a scene perhaps of David bringing the head of Goliath to Jerusalem.