The tower in Turlough is one of best preserved round towers of all Ireland. It dates from the 9th century and it stands on the site of an old monastic building associated with St. Patrick. Little is known about the monastery in its early days, the first notes appear in 1351 when Pope Clement VI ordered the Archbishop of Armagh Richard FitzRalph to renounce his craving for the jurisdiction over the church who belonged to the Archbishop of Tuam Thomas MacCarwill.
The tower is short and relatively wide, the combination of these features gives the tower a squat look.
The roof was restored by the OPW in 1880.
Attached to the tower there are the ruins of an old church, probably from the 18th century. This building is facing west-southwest (260°).
What's really interesting in this church are the two crucifixion panels. One of them carries the date of 1625, that is almost 400 years ago. Despite of its age the carving is in perfect condition. The other panel, above the west doorway, is undated, but probably it's from the same period.
This was our second visit to this place since April 28th, 1997.
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