Uses of the Round Towers of Ireland, fyc. 83 



offered. According to Mr. Wiridele, however, there are two or three special 

 considerations peculiar to Ardmore, which favour the conclusion as to its pagan 

 origin. In the first place, he says, " the lands on which it is situated are called 

 Ardo, the height of the fire." Now on this statement I have to observe, first, 

 that this is not the fact, for the Tower is situated on the glebe of Ardmore, or 

 the great height, and, as appears from the Latin Life of St. Declan, the place was 

 more anciently called Ard na g-caerach, and explained by Altitude ovium. 

 Secondly, there are no lands in the parish of Ardmore called Ardo, as Mr. 

 Windele states, though there is a gentleman's house so called, but there are 

 two townlands called Ardochesty and Ardoguinagh, one of which adjoins 

 the glebe of Ardmore ; and Mr. Windele had no authority for calling those 

 townlands Ardo simply, or for his statement that the Bound Tower of Ardmore 

 is situated on either of them. And thirdly, even granting that Ardo was the 

 name of the lands on which the Tower stands, it could not possibly signify the 

 height of the fire, or legitimately admit of any interpretation but height of the 

 yew, from ard, a height, and eo, of the yew. Mr. Windele's second argument is, 

 that the ancient Life of St. Declan, whilst it is particular in its mention of the 

 churches and monastic buildings, is totally silent as to the cuilcagh or tower, 

 which it would not have been did this, the most remarkable of all the structures 

 at Ardmore, owe its origin to that saint or any of his successors. This appears 

 to me a most illogical conclusion. If, as Mr. Windele asserts, the ancient Life 

 of St. Declan, whilst it is particular in its mention of the churches and monastic 

 buildings, is totally silent as to the cuilcagh or tower, the legitimate conclusion, 

 I think, would be, that the Tower was not in existence when the Life was 

 written ; and though it may be fair to draw an inference that the Life would 

 not have been silent as to the erection of this Tower the most remarkable of all 

 the structures at Ardmore had it owed its origin to St. Declan, it seems some- 

 what ludicrous to expect that it should record its erection, by any of St. Declan's 

 successors, vinless it were first proved that the Life was written subsequently to 

 the existence of those successors, and that the Life of St. Declan included the 

 Lives of his successors also. 



Lastly, Mr. Windele says, " then again the finding of the Ogham fragment. 

 In a question of this kind this may be considered as of importance. The Ogham 

 writing has been generally considered as Druidical, as the original literary cha- 



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