Survey Data
Reg No
40904104
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical
Previous Name
Mullaghderg Tower
Original Use
Signal tower
Date
1805 - 1810
Coordinates
175014, 420843
Date Recorded
18/11/2016
Date Updated
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Description
Freestanding two-bay two-storey signal tower, built 1806. Now ruinous and missing roof. Rubble stone walls with slight base batter and large squared quoins. Segmental-headed openings to first floor with red sandstone voussoirs. Stepped square-headed opening with keystones to ground floor. Openings recessed internally. Set on exposed headland overlooking Bá Inish Fraoigh [Inishfree Bay].
Appraisal
This ruined structure is a remnant of the early nineteenth-century military architecture of Dún na nGall [north County Donegal]. Constructed by the British colonial authority, in anticipation of a possible invasion by the French during the Napoleonic War, the signal tower formed part of a substantial network of defensive structures erected along the south, west and north coasts of Ireland. The structure makes a significant contribution to the defensive and architectural heritage of the coastline and forms a distinctive feature in the landscape.