Rattoo Round Tower

Near Ballyduff at Rattoo, a round tower reaches a height of 28mts, with a base circumference of 15mts. Said to have been founded by the Bishop Lughach, one of the first Christian Evangelists in Kerry. The Round Tower, built around 1100, is exceptionally well-preserved, although its roof has been restored. Its doorway has a round arch, and is surrounded by a plain, flat carved moulding capped with an unusual curvilinear design. A sheela-na-gig is carved on the north window, facing into the inside of the tower. These were ugly, explicit carvings of females which were often placed on the walls of churches and castles as protective symbols. This is the only example of a sheela-na-gig to be found in an Irish Round Tower. In the mid 19th century, the tower sat on a raised earth causeway in what was then a swamp. The swamp was drained and the causeway removed in the late 1800s so the fields could be cultivated. The small ruined church in the cemetery may date to the 15th century and is partly built with stones from a more ancient church.