Though we visited and stayed in Lusk many and many times before we never had a proper look at the round tower and its surroundings. It was about time we did.
St. Mac Cuilinn founded a monastery here at the end of the 5th century. He died in 496 AD.
The monastery was attacked and plundered by the Vikings in 827 and in 856. It was then raided by the Irish in 1053, 1089 and 1133. Each attack led to a great loss of lives.
The round tower that we see today is the only survivor of that early monastery.
The attached square tower of the belfry was built between the 15th and 16th century and contains the tombs with effigies of James Bermingham and his dog, dated 1637, and of Christopher Barnewall and his wife Marion Sherle, dated 1589.
The round tower has a rectangular lintelled doorway on the east (100°) side, at only 1 metre from the ground, but this can only mean that the ground around the round tower has been raised over the years.
The square belfry tower has three corner turrets that might resembles the round tower which acts as the fourth turret, but the round tower is much higher. It stands at about 27 metres of height, but in origin it might have been even three metres higher.
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