This tower, called the Record Tower, is all that remains of a Norman castle built here in 1204 by Meiler FitzHenry on order by king John of England. The fortification was built within the southeast corner of the pre-existing town of Dyflinn, founded by the Vikings in the 10th century at the junction of the River Liffey and the River Poddle.
Here was the ancient city harbour, now occupied by the Dubhlinn Gardens.
This only surviving tower had the function of security jail for State prisoners, its walls are 4.60 metres thick, so security was guaranteed. Nevertheless on January 6th, 1592, Red Hugh O'Donnell along with Art and Henry O'Neill, sons of Ulster chieftains, made their successful and legendary escape through the toilet chute.
Today the Record Tower is pinched between the Chapel Royal and Revenue Museum to the east and the 18th century castle to the west and north.
The Dubhlinn Gardens, once the town harbour, are to the south of the tower.
The tower has a circular section with a rich crenellation at its top.
This tower appears for a few seconds during a scene of the movie "The Medallion" (2002) by Gordon Chan (see movie at time 0:31:00 to 0:31:09).
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