Old Kilcullen - High Cross |
This round tower is now only half height and has been 'made safe' far too evenly, removing any character. In the graveyard alongside it are some low ruins, presumably of a church and two high cross stumps.
The taller of the two cross bases is very plain, but the shorter is a finely carved example, depicting typical biblical scenes.
The whole of the surrounding countryside is quite beautiful here, but very exposed. Again this tranquility is being encroached upon by marauding bungalows.
There is a fine view of Dun Ailinne (County Kildare) hillfort from here too.
The views from here on a fine day like today are simply stunninng. To the east the whole of the horizon is taken up with the purple shades of the Wicklow Mountains.
The round tower door is quite low at just 2m off the ground. If the high-set doors were for protection then they obviously felt quite secure when they built this one and didn't expect attack. Perhaps the proximity of Dun Ailinne (County Kildare) helped.
The low ruins are of the main church which was decorated in the Romanesque style. What a shame that it is now no more than a set of walls just 1m high. I wonder where all those carved stones ended up?
From Kilcullen head south along the N78. Take the first left after crossing the M9 and continue for about 1km. You will se the round tower on your left near to the next junction.
This is an explanation of (and a bit of a disclaimer for) the coordinates I provide. Where a GPS figure is given this is the master for all other coordinates. According to my Garmin these are quite accurate. Where there is no GPS figure the 6 figure grid reference is master for the others. This may not be very accurate as it could have come from the OS maps and could have been read by eye. Consequently, all other cordinates are going to have inaccuracies. The calculation of Longitude and Latitude uses an algorithm that is not 100% accurate. The long/lat figures are used as a basis for calculating the UTM & ITM coordinates. Consequently, UTM & ITM coordinates are slightly out. UTM is a global coordinate system - Universal Transverse Mercator - that is at the core of the GPS system. ITM is the new coordinate system - Irish Transverse Mercator - that is more accurate and more GPS friendly than the Irish Grid Reference system. This will be used on the next generation of Irish OS maps. |