The round tower at Meelick, County Mayo. Once part of a religious foundation attributed to St Broccaidh, the tower is believed to date from the 10th century. It stands 21.5 metres high and has lost its conical cap but retains a doorway some 3.5 metres above the present ground level. Attached to the base is a likely contemporaneous tombstone with interlaced cross and border, and the inscription OR DO GRIENI (‘A prayer for Griene’).
Not a specific response to this interesting post, but have you had a chance to see the Adam Buck exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford? If planning to come to see it, please do get in touch and let me give you lunch or a drink.
Thank you for yours. I am about to send you an email; you might check as sometimes my address means I am banished to spam…
The Meelick Round Tower is one of a very few that has an Ordnance Survey Bench Mark cut on the base, referenced to the OSI maps it is 146.9 feet above sea level.
Thank you for that extra information, most interesting – and as ever much appreciated.