towers round monaghan

An old monastery was founded here by St. Tighernach in the 6th century. The high Cross probably stood near the Round Tower originally and was later moved to its present position in the Diamond. The cross (9th century?) is in two parts which did not belong together originally. On the west face are Adam and Eve, the Sacrifice of Isaac and Daniel in the Lions' Den, while on the east face are the Adoration of the Magi, the Marriage Feast of Cana, the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and th...

The first reference to the existence of a monastery here is in 685, and the death of the last recorded monk took place in 1085. The monastery, however, was founded in the 6th century by St. Diag who studied under St. Ciaran at Clonmacnois, and St. Colmcille is said to have been present at the foundation, and blessed the monastery.

There remains the stump of a Round Tower now 42 feet high, with a doorway 14 feet above the ground. A road contractor made a hole in the tower in the last c...