Northern Ireland Towns

(www.nitowns.com)

Antrim Town, Co Antrim

Tower And Stone

for larger image click on photo

Antrims round tower, one of the finest in Ireland.
It is the earliest stone tower to be documented.  A drawing c1699 is kept at the British Musuem Lhoyd collection.  This type of building was a typical example of those used during Viking raids in the tenth century.  Monks would build these towers for a place to hide from enemies, although it is known that Vikings never attacked the tower.  Whatever its purpose the tower has been there for over 1000 years.  Its construction of stone with lime mortar is a distinctly Roman techneque used in the seventh century when monks arrived from western Europe.

120 yards north of the tower, sits a very large stone.  There is a tale of a wicked witch who was annoyed with the towers existance and in a violent temper jumped from the top of the tower onto this stone and left imprints of an elbow and knee deep in the surface of the stone.
Maybe she mislaid her broomstick!!
The stone was probably used for food preparation with the holes being used to ground grain etc.