Martello - Dublin - Tower

Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts built by the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 25 men.

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Photo Details

• County: Dublin North
• Town: Balbriggan
• Scene: Martello Tower
• Date: 1910 (estimate)

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• Read about Martello Tower below
• Martello Tower (Dublin)

Martello Towers

Martello towers (or simply Martellos) are small defensive forts built by the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards. They stand up to 40 feet (12m) high (with two floors) and typically had a garrison of one officer and 25 men. Their round structure and thick walls of solid masonry made them very resistant to cannon fire, while their height made them an ideal platform for a single heavy artillery piece, mounted on the flat roof and able to traverse a 360° arc. A few Martello towers were surrounded by a moat for extra defence. They were used throughout the 19th century, but became obsolete with the introduction of powerful rifled artillery. Many have survived to the present day, often being preserved as historic monuments.

A number of Martello towers were built around the coast of Ireland, especially along the east, from Millmount to Bray, around Dublin Bay and also around Cork Harbour on the south coast. Possibly the most famous is the Martello tower in Sandycove, Dún Laoghaire, in which James Joyce lived for few days. The fictional character Stephen Dedalus lives in the tower with his friend Buck Mulligan in Ulysses. Known as the James Joyce Tower, it is now a museum dedicated to Joyce. A number of other Martello towers are extant nearby at Bulloch Harbour, Dalkey Island, Williamstown Seapoint and Sandymount and Martello towers feature in many literary works set in Dublin. On the North side of the city, Martello towers can be found in Portmarnock, Howth, Sutton and on both Ireland's Eye and Lambay Island. During the 1980s Bono owned the Martello tower in Bray, County Wicklow.

During the 19th century Fenian uprising the tower near Fota island in Cork Harbour was briefly captured and held by the famous Captain Mackey and is believed to have been the only one ever captured. The tower at Seapoint, County Dublin, is the headquarters of the Genealogical Society of Ireland, while the restored tower at Ilnacullin is a feature of an island garden in Glengarriff, County Cork. Several other towers are still extant, including one at Rathmullan (the flight of the Earls), County Donegal.