DUNCANNON MARTELLO TOWER NO 1.

		The Martello Tower was built with granite 200 years ago. Inside the Tower, steps give access to the roof. The views from here are spectacular. Access to the Tower can be obtained with the permission of the proprietor. Starting in 1804 a number of Martello Towers were built around the coast of England and Ireland as defences against a planned invasion by Napoleon Bonaparte.

Three were built in Wexford, two being in Duncannon. The military Fort at Duncannon stood for centuries on its strategic rocky promontory and its guns commanded the deep-water channel and entrance to Waterford Harbour. During the Napoleonic emergency, the two defensive Martello Towers, each with a cannon on top, were built to support and protect the Fort.

Our Martello Tower is a free-standing, compact, squat, circular, two-storey structure built over a vaulted cellar with a parapet- protected roof which has a fixture for a large traversing cannon. The tower stands 10m high, with bomb-proof walls, over 3 metres thick in places. It is built with large granite blocks and is a magnificent feat of engineering.

There is a stone staircase to the roof. The first- floor was the garrison's living quarters for eleven men and one officer. There were 2 rooms on this floor with one window & one fireplace in each. The entrance door was on this floor also. It was 3 m from the ground and access was by a ladder, which could be be withdrawn into the tower in an emergency.

The latrines were outside in the corner of the grounds. The ground floor was devoted to storage of materials and supplies. Incorporated in it was an ammunition’s magazine which was walled off for safety reasons. There is a well in the cellar.

The Tower is surrounded by a stone wall with a 3m wide and sloping embankment in front so that any attackers could not hide behind it. Local myth suggests there are tunnels connecting the Towers to the Fort. The defeat of Napoleon and the advance of gun technology meant that Martellos were rendered surplus to requirements. They were then used as watch towers to combat smugglers.

We bought Martello Tower No 1, free of preservation order, in 1997. It has not been significantly changed since its construction although rot and damp have eroded the woodwork, Finer details were destroyed in re-construction by the Irish Army who occupied it during World War 2. We are keen to conserve it.