Tower Road, Clondalkin

Area

5,396 m² (0.54 ha, 1.33 acres)

Buildings

1 building touches it, 344 m² on the ground

Zoning

M2 TC (South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028) The objective

Townland

Clondalkin

Planning applications on this parcel

• 22 Jan 2021Refuse permission

  Parking area to the front with dropped kerb for access; new folding wrought iron gates in keeping with the existing.

  Permission · South Dublin County Council, SD21B/0026

• 24 Jan 2018Grant permission

  (a) Removal of the existing signage on the front elevation, (b) the installation of illuminated fascia signage to the front elevation, (c) the erection of 1 Totem Pole to the Old Nangor Road entrance with recessed up-lighting installed at ground level, (d) 1 Totem Pole to the Ninth Lock Road entrance with recessed up-lighting installed at ground level and (e) associated site works.

  Permission · South Dublin County Council, SD17A/0384

• 7 Aug 2015Grant permission

  Alterations to existing drive-thru lane to create side by side ordering points, additional order point with canopy, 2 no. single bay 3-sided internally illuminated menu signs to replace existing double bay internally illuminated menu sign and associated site works.

  Permission · South Dublin County Council, SD15A/0233

• 8 Aug 2012Grant permission

  (i) Removal of existing roof light boxes; (ii) removal of existing roof signs and mansard to be replaced with new roof signs; (iii) cladding over of existing roof tiles with composite aluminium panels as per drawings including an increase in ridge height; (iv) additional roof signage to front elevation; (v) alterations to existing wall elevations including cladding of existing drive thru' booths; (vi) removal of existing drive thru' signage and height restrictor and installation of new drive thru' signage and height restrictor; (vii) removal of existing free standing booth to rear of restaurant; (viii) new tables, seating, railings and lighting on pavement to front of building; all with associated site works.

  Permission · South Dublin County Council, SD12A/0161

• 29 Apr 2005Grant permission for retention

  Building up the original porch facing the carpark at the Mill Shopping Centre & incorporating this porch into the building and the installation of a new door and 2 new windows facing the car park.

  Retention · South Dublin County Council, SD05A/0322

Source: National Planning Applications, Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Applicants are not shown.

Designated sites

No designated site (Special Area of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Natural Heritage Area or proposed one) touches this parcel.

Recorded monuments around it

This parcel is in the zone of notification of 14 recorded monuments.

• DU017-041 Historic town
  Description

  The historic town of Clondalkin (Chluain Dolcáin/Dolcáin's Meadow) was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin (Bradley and King 1988, 215-24) as follows; 'The origins of the settlement of Clondalkin lie in the Early Christian period with the foundation of a monastery there in the seventh century by St Mochua (Cronan) (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Abbots are first mentioned in the annals during the eighth century and it is recorded that the relics of Mochua were translated here in 789. The monastery was sufficiently important to be plundered by the Vikings in 833 and shortly afterwards Clondalkin became a base for Viking activities in the area. Little is known of this period of Clondalkin's history, which, is potentially significant archaeologically because it appears to be one of the few recorded Viking rural settlement sites. A fort was established by Olaf the White, the first Norwegian king of Dublin. It is recorded only once in the annals, when it was attacked and captured in 867 by two Leinster chieftains: "Amlaib's fort at Cluain Dolcain [Clondalkin] was burned by Gaithine's son and Mael Ciarain son of Ronan, and the aforesaid commanders caused a slaughter of a hundred of the leaders of the foreigners in the vicinity of Cluain Dolcain on the same day" (MacNiocaill 1983, 323). The implication of this entry is that there was also Viking settlement in the vicinity of Clondalkin but unfortunately the exact whereabouts of the fort itself is unknown. The Vikings may simply have taken over the early monastery and fortified it as they seem to have done elsewhere, at St. Mullin's [CW026-011----] and Monasterboice [LH021-062001-] for instance. It is equally possible, of course, that the Viking fort was simply located close to the monastery and the nearby placename Raheen may be significant in this regard (Ua Broin 1942, 206). Unfortunately the reference remains rather enigmatic and it is unknown whether the Vikings returned to settle here in the tenth century or not. It is of interest, however, to note the tradition that the church lands of Clondalkin were given to the archdiocese by the MacGilla Mocholmog family, who were vassals of the later Norse kings of Dublin (White 1957, no 111). The monastery was burned in 1071 but in 1077 it was the subject of a struggle between rival factions for control of the abbacy which; resulted in the granting of the church to the Célí Dé (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Like the other Célí Dé monasteries of Tallaght [DU021-037002-] and Finglas [DU014-066----] the lands became part of the see lands of the diocese of Dublin. This happened before the Anglo-Norman invasion (White 1957, no. 111; Mason 1819, 26, note e) and it presumably reflects the diocesan reorganization that occurred after the Synods of Rath Breasail [Ráth Bhreasail] (1111 AD) and Kells (1152 AD). Under the Norman archbishops Clondalkin became the centre of one of the largest manors belonging to the metropolitan see. After the foundation of St. Patrick's Cathedral [DU018-020269-] it was attached by Archbishop Henry of, London to the dean of the cathedral (Mason 1820, 26). In conjunction with the manor the archbishops established a borough. Its existence is first indicated by a mention in an extent of the manor of Clondalkin in 1326, but it is likely that it was already established in the thirteenth century. The extent mentions that the burgesses of Clondalkin held thirty-two and two-thirds burgages (McNeill 1950, 187). The borough was ruled by a corporation and bailiff, an office held in 1276 by one Robert Beg (Ball 1902-20, i v, 108 ) and by the close of the fourteenth century there were at least five streets in the borough known as Mill Street, Steeple Street, Pope Lane, New Street, and Mahow Street. This appears from an inquisition about property assigned in 1393 to the church of Clondalkin by one John Shillingford (Ball 1902-20, iv, 111). In the Description of Ireland in 1598, Clondalkin is classed as a substantial village and is graded below the rank of market town which is occupied by Lusk [DU018-010----] and Swords [DU011-035----] (Hogan 1878, 37). No mention is made of its borough status at this time and it is unclear when exactly the borough ceased to function. In 1642, during the Confederate Wars the village was burned by a troop of horse sent from Dublin (Ball 1902-20, i v, 117) . According to the Down Survey of 1657 there stood at Clondalkin then only the stump of a castle, some thatched houses and the round tower, which was described as a high watch tower (Ball 1902-20, iv, 117-18; Simington 1945, 292). It would seem that the wars of the seventeenth century caused the settlement to shrink substantially in size. The first antiquarian to visit Clondalkin and leave a record of it was Austin Cooper who described the village in 1780 as "small" but he noted that it then contained more remains of ancient buildings than it does today (Price 1942, 54-6). Some distance to the northwest of the church and round tower stood a low castle originally built as a mill and still being used as such in 1780, while at the entrance to the village from Dublin there were two: castles instead of the one which now remains. ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVENTORY 1. STREETS & PATTERN 2. MARKET PLACE 3. DOMESTIC HOUSES ARCHBISHOPS HOUSE TULLY'S CASTLE OTHER HOUSES 4. MILL 5. EARLY MONASTIC SITE ST. CRONAN'S PARISH CHURCH ROUND TOWER 6 . MISCELLANEOUS CHURCH SITE DEANSRATH CASTLE ST. BRIGID'S WELL 1. STREETS & STREET PATTERN The curving boundary of the early monastic site is preserved in Orchard Lane and its continuation southwards, and in Main Street as far as the junction with Boot Road. Monastery Road, the old road from Dublin, also evidentially runs along the line of an ancient street. As the surviving fortified house indicates, much of the medieval borough was probably situated along the axis of Monastery Road, east of the church site. The identification of the five streets documented in the fourteenth century sources with the streets of today is difficult but some guesses can be made (Ball 1902-20, i v, 111). Mill Street may be identified with the street leading to the mills; now the eastern part of the Newcastle Road. Steeple Street is presumably Tower Road, and New Street may be New Road, but the identification of Pope Lane and Mayhow Street is unclear. 2. MARKET PLACE This would appear to have been of triangular form and was located at the junction of Main Street and Monastery Road. 3. DOMESTIC HOUSES In common with similar medieval settlements, Clondalkin would have had houses on the street frontage and the number of burgesses mentioned in 1326 suggests that there would have been at least thirty two individual house plots within the borough, and presumably therefore at least thirty-two houses. Documentation on these is very slight however. The extent of 1326 also mentions that there were cottagers at Clondalkin some of whose cottages were then vacant and ruined (McNeill 1950, 186). ARCHBISHOP'S HOUSE Since the archbishop was the lord of Clondalkin this would technically have been a manor house and would seem to have been separate from whatever building the dean of St. Patrick's would have had there in his capacity as rector. The archbishop's house was described in 1326 as "a chamber and a chapel badly roofed with shingles, a stone stable badly roofed and two small houses badly roofed with thatch" and they were stated to be of no value because nobody wished to live in them (McNeill 1950, 185). The position of this house within the settlement is unknown but it is possible that the church site excavated by Rynne (1967) may have been the chapel mentioned in 1326 and one could accordingly suggest that the archbishop's house was in the vicinity of the present St. Killian's Park. TULLY'S CASTLE [DU017-041005-] The remains survive on the south side of Monastery Road of a narrow sixteenth century tower with crenellations. It is a two storied structure with a lean-to building

• DU017-041001 Ecclesiastical enclosure
  Description

  The monastic enclosure of Clondalkin (Chluain Dolcáin/Dolcáin's Meadow) was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin (Bradley and King 1988, 215-24) as follows; 'The origins of the settlement of Clondalkin lie in the Early Christian period with the foundation of a monastery there in the seventh century by St Mochua (Cronan) (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Abbots are first mentioned in the annals during the eighth century and it is recorded that the relics of Mochua were translated here in 789. The monastery was sufficiently important to be plundered by the Vikings in 833 and shortly afterwards Clondalkin became a base for Viking activities in the area. Little is known of this period of Clondalkin's history, which, is potentially significant archaeologically because it appears to be one of the few recorded Viking rural settlement sites. A fort was established by Olaf the White, the first Norwegian king of Dublin. It is recorded only once in the annals, when it was attacked and captured in 867 by two Leinster chieftains: "Amlaib's fort at Cluain Dolcain [Clondalkin] was burned by Gaithine's son and Mael Ciarain son of Ronan, and the aforesaid commanders caused a slaughter of a hundred of the leaders of the foreigners in the vicinity of Cluain Dolcain on the same day" (MacNiocaill 1983, 323). The implication of this entry is that there was also Viking settlement in the vicinity of Clondalkin but unfortunately the exact whereabouts of the fort itself is unknown. The Vikings may simply have taken over the early monastery and fortified it as they seem to have done elsewhere, at St. Mullin's [CW026-011----] and Monasterboice [LH021-062001-] for instance. It is equally possible, of course, that the Viking fort was simply located close to the monastery and the nearby placename Raheen may be significant in this regard (Ua Broin 1942, 206). Unfortunately the reference remains rather enigmatic and it is unknown whether the Vikings returned to settle here in the tenth century or not. It is of interest, however, to note the tradition that the church lands of Clondalkin were given to the archdiocese by the MacGilla Mocholmog family, who were vassals of the later Norse kings of Dublin (White 1959, no 111). The monastery was burned in 1071 but in 1077 it was the subject of a struggle between rival factions for control of the abbacy which; resulted in the granting of the church to the Célí Dé (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Like the other Célí Dé monasteries of Tallaght [DU021-037002-] and Finglas [DU014-066----] the lands became part of the see lands of the diocese of Dublin. This happened before the Anglo-Norman invasion (White 1959, no. 111; Mason 1820, 26, note e) and it presumably reflects the diocesan reorganization that occurred after the Synods of Rath Breasail (1111 AD) and Kells (1152 AD). The curving boundary of the early monastic site [DU017-041013-] is preserved in Orchard Lane and its continuation southwards, and in Main Street as far as the junction with Boot Road. The outline history of the early monastic foundation has been charted as part of the general introduction above and it is evident that it was already a place of significance by the middle of the eighth century. The curving sweep of Orchard Lane and Main Street evidently preserves the outline of the eastern half of the old monastic enclosure (diam. c. 310m) and it presumably covered a further similar sized area to the west, creating an enclosure in which the church [DU017-041002-] and round tower [DU017-041006-] would have been roughly centrally placed'. See attached Google Earth orthoimages showing the modern settlement and the line of the inner and outer enclosures of the monastery of Clondalkin White, N.B. 1959 Registrum Diocesi Dublinensis: a sixteenth century Dublin precedent book. Stationery Office for the Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041002 Church
  Description

  The medieval nave and chancel parish church of Clondalkin (Chluain Dolcáin/Dolcáin's Meadow) dedicated to St. Mochua was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin (Bradley and King 1988, 215-24) as follows; 'The origins of the settlement of Clondalkin lie in the Early Christian period with the foundation of a monastery there in the seventh century by St Mochua (Cronan) (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Abbots are first mentioned in the annals during the eighth century and it is recorded that the relics of Mochua were translated here in 789. The monastery was sufficiently important to be plundered by the Vikings in 833 and shortly afterwards Clondalkin became a base for Viking activities in the area. Like the other Célí Dé monasteries of Tallaght [DU021-037002-] and Finglas [DU014-066----] the lands became part of the see lands of the diocese of Dublin. This happened before the Anglo-Norman invasion (White 1959, no. 111; Mason 1820, 26, note e) and it presumably reflects the diocesan reorganization that occurred after the Synods of Rath Breasail (1111 AD) and Kells (1152 AD). Under the Norman archbishops Clondalkin became the centre of one of the largest manors belonging to the metropolitan see. After the foundation of St. Patrick's Cathedral [DU018-020269-] it was attached by Archbishop Henry of, London to the dean of the cathedral (Mason 1820, 26). In conjunction with the manor the archbishops established a borough. Its existence is first indicated by a mention in an extent of the manor of Clondalkin in 1326, but it is likely that it was already established in the thirteenth century. St. Mochua's parish church The present St John's Anglican Church occupies part of the site of the medieval building which is known only from eighteenth century drawings. These show it to have had a graded triple lancet in the east wall, an aisled chancel, and a two-light belfry of the type characteristic of fifteenth century Pale churches (Ball 1902—20, i v, 109). It is known from the will of William Neill, made in 1471, that the church contained three altars, dedicated to SS. Mary, Thomas and Brigid (Berry 1898, 98). The medieval church fell into ruin after the mid-seventeenth century when the parish was united to that of Tallaght (Ball 1902—20, i v, 123). Part of the church was restored, however, at the beginning of the eighteenth century and appears as such in the illustration prepared by T. Archdeacon c. 1770 (Ball 1902-20, i vr 109). The building appears to have been in a rather precarious state, however, and Beranger records that it collapsed as a result of the shock waves generated by the explosion of Caldbeck's Powder Mills at Clondalkin in 1787 (Barrow 1979, 82; Ua Broin 1944, 206, f. n, 9). The ruins of the building were examined by Mason (1820, 26 note e) who stated that the church was originally large, and that it measured 38 yards [35m E-W) long by 18 [16m N-S] wide. The only remnant of the old church is a chunk of masonry [dims. L 2.8m x T 0.9m] southeast of the modern building'. Only the SE angle of the E gable of the medieval parish church of Clondalkin remains standing in the SE corner of St. John's graveyard. A drawing from the SE of the ruinous nave and chancel church at Clondalkin by Thomas Archdeakon dated July 1791, shows that only the nave was roofed and that a five-light switchline traceried window had been inserted into the chancel arch which then served as the E window of the church. The E window of the chancel consisted of three single light lancet windows of graduating height with a pointed window in the S wall of the chancel. The S side of the nave is shown projecting outwards which served as the S aisle of the medieval church. On the apex of the W gable of the nave there is a crenellated double bellcote. The graveyard wall appears in the foreground of this drawing (https://catalogue.nli.ie/Record/vtls000147028). On this drawing the memorial plaque is shown inserted into the SE corner of the E gable of the nave and chancel church, this is the same 18th-century memorial plaque that is visible today in the external face of the SE angle of the E wall of the medieval nave and chancel parish church of Clondalkin. The inscription beneath the Christogram on the memorial plaque reads “This stone was erected by Laurence Ternan. Beneath lies interred ye body of his father Patrick Ternan who departed 25th July 1754”. A drawing of the church by Gabriel Beranger dated 1767 shows a different type of E window and the bellcote is possibly shown rising from the gable of the chancel arch instead of the W gable. Beranger's Apainting may be based on an earlier depiction of the church ruins surveyed and drawn by Samuel Molyneux c. 1709. To see a 3D model of the 18th-century memorial plaque visit; https://skfb.ly/oJ9GZ See attached 18th-century drawing of the east view of the medieval nave and chancel church of Clondalkin See attached 1792 drawing of St. John's Anglican Church which was built across the western end of the medieval nave and chancel parish church c. 1785-9, taken from Grose's Antiquities of Ireland NLI PD 1976 TX 31 National Library of Ireland, Archdeakon, T. (1791) Clondalkin Church County Dublin. View of the church and round tower of Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland, with buildings on either side. Grose Collection NLI, PD 1975 TX 28 (68), National Library of Ireland, View of a round tower and church at Clondalkin, Co. Dublin, with a note on their destruction in the blowing up of a powder mill. Sketch books of Irish antiquities by W. Frazer. NLI, PD 1958 TX (33) National Library of Ireland, Drawing of two men seated in the foreground looking at the Round Tower of Clondalkin, County Dublin, Ireland, and the medieval church beside it. Two cows graze nearby, 1767. A Collection of Drawings of the Principal, Antique Buildings of Ireland Designd on ye spot, and Collected by GL. Berenger [sic], Vol. I. White, N.B. 1959 Registrum Diocesi Dublinensis: a sixteenth century Dublin precedent book. Stationery Office for the Irish Manuscripts Commission, Dublin. Berry, H.F. 1898 Account Roll of Holy Trinity. Dublin. Barry, T. 2015 The Journeys of Samuel Molyneux in Ireland, 1708–1709. Analecta Hibernica, No. 46, 1-83. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041003 Cross
  Description

  In SE quadrant of St. John's graveyard to the N of the medieval church fragment (DU017-041002-) stands a low granite cross with damaged head (Ball 1899, 97; Healy 1974, 22). It has a raised ringed cross on the W face, the E face has a raised Latin cross (dims. H 0.78m, max. Wth 0.57m, T 0.18-25m). Healy, P. 1974 Report on monuments and sites of archaeological interest in county Dublin, Vol. 1. An Foras Forbartha Teoranta. To see a 3D model of this cross visit; https://skfb.ly/oJ9EF Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041004 Cross
  Description

  In NE quadrant of St. John's graveyard (DU017-041012-) there is a tall plain granite cross. The arms are asymmetrical (H 1.75m, Wth 0.8m, T 0.3m) (Anon 1914, 272-273). To see a 3D model of the cross visit https://skfb.ly/oJ9DX Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041005 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  Located on the S side of Monastery Road where the land falls away to the W and NW. Known as 'Tully's Castle', this is National Monument No. 285 and is in state care. Described in the Urban Survey of Dublin as; 'The remains survive on the south side of Monastery Road of a narrow sixteenth century tower with crenellations. It is a two storied structure with a lean-to building beside it. Internally it is slightly over 3m square. There are three windows in the south face and Ball (1899, 97) recorded the presence of a carved head between the two on the upper floor. The name is derived from a family which lived here in the eighteenth century (Ua Broin 1944, 212). The building has been the subject of a comprehensive study by Murtagh (1982). According to the Down Survey of 1657 there stood at Clondalkin then only the stump of a castle, some thatched houses and the round tower, which was described as a high watch tower (Ball 1902-20, iv, 117-18)' (Bradley and King 1988, 220-1). The remains comprise a well preserved, square tower which is offset off the corner of a hall house. This service tower rises to three storeys with crenellations and is attached to the NE corner of the two storey dwelling. At the parapet level of the tower there are stepped crenellations with a drip-stone ledge and gutter. Its interior is not accessible, the S face has been rebuilt to secure the building. It is built of coursed stonework with hammer dressing on the quoins (ext. dims. 3.3m NW-SE; 3.45m SW-NE). Lit by plain rectangular opes, some with dressed jambs all on the roadside frontage. On the upper storey is a projecting boulder which is probably the 'carved head' identified by Ball (1899, 97). Access to the tower was originally from the S side. There are two large rectangular openings on this side, the upper is a doorway. A gable scar on the S side indicates the presence of a later building up against this side. Attached to W wall is a dwelling with remains of a stairwell in the NW corner. Possible gunloops are present on the ground floor and a chimney breast with a flue on the first floor level (Ua Broin 1944, 212; MC Dix 1898, XXXX, 57). See attached image of Tully's Castle from the Patrick Healy Collection, courtesy of South Dublin Libraries, Local Studies Collection, County Library, https://hdl.handle.net/10599/1901 Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of revised upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041006 Round tower
  Description

  The round tower and the monastery of Clondalkin (Chluain Dolcáin/Dolcáin's Meadow) was described in the Urban Survey of Dublin (Bradley and King 1988, 215-24) as follows; 'The origins of the settlement of Clondalkin lie in the Early Christian period with the foundation of a monastery there in the seventh century by St Mochua (Cronan) (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Abbots are first mentioned in the annals during the eighth century and it is recorded that the relics of Mochua were translated here in 789. The monastery was sufficiently important to be plundered by the Vikings in 833 and shortly afterwards Clondalkin became a base for Viking activities in the area. Little is known of this period of Clondalkin's history, which, is potentially significant archaeologically because it appears to be one of the few recorded Viking rural settlement sites. A fort was established by Olaf the White, the first Norwegian king of Dublin. It is recorded only once in the annals, when it was attacked and captured in 867 by two Leinster chieftains: "Amlaib's fort at Cluain Dolcain [Clondalkin] was burned by Gaithine's son and Mael Ciarain son of Ronan, and the aforesaid commanders caused a slaughter of a hundred of the leaders of the foreigners in the vicinity of Cluain Dolcain on the same day" (MacNiocaill 1983, 323). The implication of this entry is that there was also Viking settlement in the vicinity of Clondalkin but unfortunately the exact whereabouts of the fort itself is unknown. The Vikings may simply have taken over the early monastery and fortified it as they seem to have done elsewhere, at St. Mullin's [CW026-011----] and Monasterboice [LH021-062001-] for instance. It is equally possible, of course, that the Viking fort was simply located close to the monastery and the nearby placename Raheen may be significant in this regard (Ua Broin 1942, 206). Unfortunately the reference remains rather enigmatic and it is unknown whether the Vikings returned to settle here in the tenth century or not. It is of interest, however, to note the tradition that the church lands of Clondalkin were given to the archdiocese by the MacGilla Mocholmog family, who were vassals of the later Norse kings of Dublin (White 1959, no 111). The monastery was burned in 1071 but in 1077 it was the subject of a struggle between rival factions for control of the abbacy which; resulted in the granting of the church to the Célí Dé (Gwynn and Hadcock 1970, 31). Like the other Célí Dé monasteries of Tallaght [DU021-037002-] and Finglas [DU014-066----] the lands became part of the see lands of the diocese of Dublin. According to the Down Survey of 1657 there stood at Clondalkin then only the stump of a castle, some thatched houses and the round tower, which was described as a high watch tower (Ball 1902-20, iv, 117-18). This is situated beside the road, opposite the churchyard. It is complete with conical cap and internally there are floors and ladders complete to the top; these were inserted sometime between 1783 and 1827 (Barrow 1979, 80). There is a bulging base, probably added in the eighteenth which has steps cut into it up to the doorway. The masonry consists of calp limestone with some granites. The doorway, which is lintelled, is of granite. There were five storeys originally but the remodel ling ignored the position of two of these and consequently there are now only four. There are four windows in the top storey facing the cardinal points'. On the W side of Tower Road opposite St. John's Anglican Church and graveyard is a round tower. Originally it stood five storeys high with a conical cap (dims. H 26m; int. diam. 2.2m; wall T 0.86m). Built of coursed calp limestone with a granite finish on the door and window jambs. The base of the tower was cased in the 18th-century (Sherlock 1906, 10; Barrow 1975, 61-64). Access to first floor is from external steps through a lintelled doorway in the E face. Floors are lit by small square-headed opes and four larger rectangular windows facing the cardinal points on the top floor. Pre-development testing near the round tower in 2003 produced one sherd of medieval cooking ware in a disturbed context (Opie 2006, 113). Clondalkin round tower was described by Lalor (1999, 133-7) as; 'four of these towers, three of which are substantially intact, are early examples, probably early 11th century. From an analysis of the door and window forms of Clondalkin, Lusk [DU008-010003-] and Swords [DU011-034005-], and from 19th-century drawings of the demolished St. Michael le Pole [DU018-020083-], it can be seen that they all belong to the early phase of lintelled opening, which preceded the arched doorways and towers with Romanesque decoration. Rathmichael [DU026-050004-] is a mere stub, but since it is associated with a small single-cell church, it also probably belongs to the same period. Clondalkin is the finest and only complete tower in the Dublin area, and is doubly important for the fact that it is the only complete tower which has not had its cap reconstructed or re-set during the intensive conservation work carried out by public and private bodies on Round Towers during the late 19th century. The angle of the cap is shallower than that of other partially surviving caps. In the late 18th century, a neighbouring powder-mill, containing 250 barrels of gunpowder, exploded, demolishing the existing parish church. The tower, remarkably, survived the force of the explosion. Clondalkin (H 27.5m; base diam. 4.4m) is built of roughly coursed hammer-dressed Dublin calp limestone, with many smaller insertions and spalls. It is one of the slenderest of all the towers and exhibits a tendency towards concave entasis in the drum, where there seems to be a narrowing which widens again just below the cornice. This phenomenon is most probably an error on the part of the builders. The base is surrounded by a one metre-wide circular masonry buttress, which encloses the tower to a height of 3 metres, where it is curved inward to meet the wall surface. A flight of steps, cut into the buttress to give access to the entrance door (H above ground 3.9m), are cantilevered out over the inclined surface of the buttress below the doorway. The date of the buttress is unknown, but it is certainly not original, and may date from as late as the 18th century. The base and steps are possibly not contemporary. The door, which faces east towards the present parish church, is lintelled and with inclined jambs. The well-articulated slender doorcase of four jambstones on either side, with sill and lintel, is of granite. The two windows in the drum, which lit the original second and third floors, are also lintelled and with inclined jambs. The windows of the bell-floor are rectangular and facing the cardinal points. These windows have had modern glazing installed. The internal organisation of the timber floors has been altered, and the present arrangement of four floors (which date from 1827 or earlier) differs from the original five. A curiosity of the internal profile is the almost total absence of floor offsets (a feature paralleled at Glendalough [WI023-008002-]), giving the interior a tubelike profile, rather than the series of inverted buckets which is more normal. There is a single offset to support the entrance floor. Clondalkin's cap, probably the most perfect to survive, is at a less acute angle than others, and sits on a conventional cornice'. See attached drawing of Clondalkin Round Tower, surveyed and drawn by Samuel Molyneux c. 1709, taken from Thomas Molyneux's Discourse concerning the Danish mounts, forts and towers in Ireland, 1726 in reprint of Gerard Boate's, Natural History of Ireland. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041007 Font
  Description

  To the S of St. John's Anglican church is a rectangular granite font (dims. L 1.2m x Wth 0.95m x D 0.6m) with a dressed N face and an irregular S face with a channel inside the rim (Ball 1899, 98). To see a 3D model of this font visit; https://skfb.ly/oJ9GD Compiled by: Geraldine Stout Revised by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041008 Castle - unclassified
  Description

  The exact location of Moyle Castle has not been identified. Ua Broin (1944, 212) has suggested that it was located on the site of the gate lodge into the college (Moyle Castle Park). The Urban Survey of County Dublin recorded that; 'Austin Cooper recorded the presence of another fortified house close to Tully's Castle and Ball (1899, 97) stated that the remains of it could still be distinguished within the modern buildings which then, occupied the site. There is no trace of it today. Eighteenth century maps show the position of Moyle Castle at a point corresponding with the entrance to the College buildings (the former Moyle Park House) on the west side of Boot Road (Ua Broin 1944, 211-12). No surface remains visible. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

• DU017-041009 Water mill - unclassified
  Description

  The Mill Centre Shopping complex NW of Clondalkin Village occupies the site of a medieval mill. Described in the Urban Survey of County Dublin as follows; 'A water-mill was associated with the manor of Clondalkin from at least the thirteenth century and it was valued at 38s. 10d. in 1326 (McNeill 1950, 187). Its site is almost certainly occupied by the modern paper mills on the north side of the road to Newcastle Lyons, and is presumably the castellated mill which Austin Cooper visited in 1780 (Price 1942, 56). Ua Broin (1944, 210—11) documents further mills but it is unclear whether they are older than the eighteenth century or not' (Bradley and King 1988). No surface remains visible. Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien Date of upload: 17 July 2023

And 4 more.

Architectural heritage

No building of the National Inventory of Architectural Heritage stands on this parcel.

Designated sites: National Parks and Wildlife Service. Recorded monuments: Sites and Monuments Record, National Monuments Service. Buildings: National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, CC BY 4.0. Works at or in relation to a recorded monument need two months' written notice to the National Monuments Service (National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994, section 12).

Download this parcel: DXF, in Irish Transverse Mercator metres, with its neighbours and buildings, for a drawing program; GeoJSON, in WGS 84, for a map.

Registered freehold land, Tailte Éireann, CC BY 4.0. A parcel is the land of a title, not an address. The owner's name is in the Land Registry of Tailte Éireann: a copy of the folio can be ordered on landdirect.ie, for a fee.