Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 9 



taken up some other way : and it seems probable the Danes, the earliest artificers in masonry, upon 

 their first conversion to Christianity, might fancy and affect to raise these fashioned steeples in this 

 peculiar form, standing at a distance from their churches, as bearing some resemblance to the round 

 tapering figure of their old monumental stones and obelisks, their pyramids, their mounts and forts, 

 of which they were so fond in time of paganism. 



" And Sir James Ware cursorily speaking of one of these round steeples at Cork, in his anti- 

 quities of Ireland, chap. 29. pag. 328, says, there prevailed a tradition in that country, that ascribed the 

 building of that tower he mentions, to the Ostmen, who were inhabitants of Cork; and we might 

 well presume, that had the old native Irish been authors of this kind of architecture, they surely 

 would have raised such towers as these in several parts of Scotland also, where they have been 

 planted and settled many ages past; but there we hear of none of them." Natural Hist, of Ireland 

 by Boate and Molyneux, pp. 210, 211. 



Dr. Molyneux next proceeds to describe the situation, form, and peculiarities 

 of construction of the Towers (which description I shall notice in another place), 

 and then returns to his theory of their Danish origin, which he endeavours to 

 support by tracing the etymology of their name in Ireland to a Teutonic or 

 German-Saxon origin : 



" Clogachd, the name by which they still are called among the native Irish, gives us a further proof 

 of their original, that they were founded first by Ostmen : for the Irish word Clogachd is taken from 

 a foreign tongue, and being a term of art, imports the thing it signifies must likewise be derived 

 from foreigners, as, were it necessary, might be made appear by many instances ; now, the Irish 

 word does plainly owe its etymology to Clugga, a German Saxon word, that signifies a bell, from 

 whence we have also borrowed our modern word a clock." Ib. p. 211. 



After this he offers some arguments to show that the Towers were erected 

 for belfries, which, as they agree with the hypothesis which I trust I shall prove, 

 need not be inserted here. 



The hypothesis of the Danish origin of the Round Towers, is one which 

 has obtained so little attention latterly, that it may, perhaps, be thought wasting 

 time to shew the weakness of the evidence adduced by Dr. Molyneux to support 

 it. A few words, therefore, will suffice. It will have been seen that this hypo- 

 thesis rests chiefly on the probability that the Danes might " fancy and affect" 

 to raise such steeples, " as bearing some resemblance to the round tapering 

 figures of their old monumental stones and obelisks, their pyramids, their mounts 

 and forts, of which they were so fond in time of paganism !" But, it may be 

 asked, where in Ireland are such Danish monumental stones, obelisks, or pyra- 

 mids to be found ? and where are the Danish mounds and forts ? It appears 



VOL. xx. c 



