215 



very much damaged, some stones forced out of the sides were found 

 to be admirably well fitted, and jointed into each other. - 



< In the church-yard stands the small building called St. Coleman's 

 chapel, but the stone roof has fallen.* 



By far the greater number of towers have in their interior, marks 

 of the places where the floors of the different stories rested. In Kil- 

 kenny there are six set-ofFs or ledges ; in Kells tower five, placed at 

 equal distances, and diminishing the thickness of the wall by about 

 four inches at each set-ofF; in others there are square holes, as if for 

 the admission of timbers. When Harris wrote his History of Down 

 he speaks of blocks of wood then remaining in some of them. Glan- 

 delough is an instance of this mode. Projecting stones or brackets, 

 which sustained the beams, are still to be seen in several towers ; 

 such is the case in that of Kilree, county of Kilkenny, also in those 

 of Cloyne and Clondalkin. Some few towers are perfectly smooth 

 withinside, almost polished, and not exhibiting a vestige of any 

 footing for a floor ; as Ardmore, Devenish, and Cashel. Mr. Brere- 

 ton says that all the towers which he saw, were without marks of 

 having had floors until within ten feet of the top ;-f but however this 

 may be in some, by far the greater number shew plainly the different 

 stories into which they have been divided, which varies from three, 

 as at Clondalkin, four, as at Ardmore, to eight, as at Fartagh-na- 

 geiragli, county of Kilkenny.;}: 



With regard to windows, they have usually one small one, or a 

 loop-hole on every story, and most commonly four windows ranged 

 round the top at a short distance below the roof: a few vary in this 

 respect ; we find at Kells five, in others six windows, as in the 



* Crofton Croker's Researches in the South of Ireland, p. 243, 

 f Harris's History of Down, p. 221. Edition I744, 

 J Archeologia, v. II. 



