Moher Tower
Signaling/watchtower in County Clare, Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Moher Tower (Irish: Túr an Mhothair; historically Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí Ruidhin)[2] is the stone ruin of an old Napoleonic-era watchtower which stands on Hag's Head, at the southern end of the Cliffs of Moher, in County Clare, Ireland.
| Moher Tower | |
|---|---|
Irish: Túr an Mhothair | |
Moher Tower | |
  Location within Ireland | |
| Former names | Moher Uí Ruis or Moher Uí Ruidhin |
| General information | |
| Status | ruin |
| Type | signaling/watchtower |
| Location | Hag's Head, County Clare, Ireland |
| Coordinates | 52.948212°N 9.467861°W |
| Estimated completion | c.1808[1] |
History
The current tower (which was built c.1808) stands close to the site of a much earlier promontory fort, known as Mothar or Moher.[3] This earlier fortification stood until at least 1780 and is mentioned in an account from John Lloyd's a Short Tour Of Clare (1780).[4] The earlier fortification was demolished in 1808 to provide material for a new lookout/signaling tower.[2] This was built nearby during the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), at a time when similar towers were built along Atlantic coasts to counter fears of invasion during Napoleon's reign in Europe.[2][5]
Construction and use
The building is a single, nearly square, tower with two rectilinear bartizans protruding from the top of its eastern wall, and one from the western wall.[1] Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the structure appears to have incorporated a fireplace on at least 2 floors, and a dry stone roof which has since mostly caved in.[citation needed]
In summer the tower ruin is occupied by the many choughs and similar birds native to the area. The tower is sometimes used as a refuge by visitors to the Cliffs of Moher who become stranded on the southern cliff path during storms that blow in from the Atlantic.[citation needed]
Gallery
Inside Moher Tower
Moher Tower on Hag's Head
