Most round towers in County Kerry are just memories in stone. This one isn’t. The Rattoo Round Tower in Ardoe remains. It is the only complete example left standing. Built in the 13th century, it sits alongside an ecclesiastical complex that has grown older. The graveyard attached to it dates back to 1770 at the very least.
Survival is never an accident.
The door hangs high. Three meters up from the dirt. Why so far? Defense. Monks lived on edge back then. They’d climb up via a ladder when trouble approached. Once safe inside? Pull the ladder up. Leave attackers standing in the mud.
Height offered advantage. A place to watch for war. To see the enemy before he sees you.
The top of the tower holds four windows. One facing each direction. North, south, east, west. You can scan the entire horizon. Or try to.
But look lower. At the north window on the first floor.
Something stares back.
A stone carving. A grotesque. Humanoid form but with one shocking detail. An exposed vulva. Called a Sheela-na-gig. People today might squirm. People then didn’t. They wanted protection. Not modesty.
Was it effective? Hard to say. The carver thought it warded off demons. Evil spirits. Bad luck. Maybe the naked stone lady made the demons too busy staring to cast any hexes. Or maybe it just reminded visitors who really ruled this land.
The ladder is gone. The monks are dead. The carving remains. Staring still.
