132 Round Towers. 



66 I dare boldly say," adds Davis, " that 

 never any particular person from the Conquest 

 to the reign of James the First did build any 

 stone or brick house for his private habitation, 

 but such as have lately obtained estates accord- 

 ing to the course of the law of England." 

 Giraldus Cambrerisis, about 1185, is the first 

 who mentions the round towers. He calls them 

 " ecclesiastical towers, which are a style or 

 fashion peculiar to the country narrow, high, 

 and round." John Lynch, in 1662, is the next 

 who speaks of these towers : his words are, 

 " The Danes, who entered Ireland, according 

 to Giraldus, in 838, are reputed to be the au- 

 thors of our orbicular narrow towers ; they are 

 called clock theach, that is, the house of the 

 bell." Peter Walsh, in 1684, supposes them 

 built after 838, to serve as watch towers against 

 the natives. " After the expulsion of the Danes 

 they were applied as belfries. It seems to have 

 been an uniform opinion of every author who 

 has spoken of round towers for the space of 

 five hundred and forty-two years, i. e. from the 

 time of Cambrensis to Molyneaux, who says that 

 they were of Oostman or Danish origin. Clog- 

 hach'd, the name by which they are said to be 

 at present called amongst the native Irish, offers 

 a further proof of their origin, and that they 



