The Round Tower in Swords
Bishop Reeves states that Round Tower in Swords probably dates from the end of the 9th century or the start of the 10th. The Swords Round Tower is 75 feet high and 55 feet in circumference. The lower entrance door is at present only a few feet from the ground which suggests that the lower part of the tower is hidden under centuries of rubble because the doorways were usually about 15 feet above ground level. The Tower was entered by a ladder which was then pulled up. There are projecting stones inside the walls to support four floors which were connected by a series of ladders. Under the cone which caps the tower, there are four large openings directly facing the four points of the compass. The cross on the top of the tower was put there in 1702 A.D. by Henry Scardeville, Vicar of Swords because he wished to suggest to succeeding generations that the tower was of Christian and not pagan origin.
