The Round Tower Visitor Centre, Clondalkin marks its second birthday.

The Round Tower Visitor Centre, Clondalkin marks its second birthday.

Free family fun day coincided with the Clondalkin Village Festival

The Round Tower Visitor Centre, Clondalkin marked its second birthday at the weekend with a free family fun day. Activities in the visitor centre and the monastic gardens included a magic show, giant board games, face painting, and balloon making, as well as free tours of the centre telling 1,000 years of local history. The event coincided with the weekend long Clondalkin Village Festival. 

The local addition to the Dublin Heritage visitor scene opened its door on Monday 3rd July, 2017. The much-anticipated Round Tower visitor centre in Clondalkin features an interpretative centre, exhibition space, café, gardens, and terrace dining and is nestled in the heart of Clondalkin Village, within minutes of the Grand Canal Greenway, Corkagh Regional Park and nearby Irish Cultural Centre, Áras Chrónáin. It is also home to the Happy Pear in Dublin.

The Visitor Centre is the first to tell the story of that unique of Irish cultural features, the Round Tower – what were they for, how were they built, who built them and can I build one! All experienced in a fun and interactive way for all ages.

“The Round Tower, Clondalkin has stood witness to over 1,000 years of social and cultural development of the village, from monastic to modern, Viking to Victorian”, said Daniel McLoughlin, Chief Executive of South Dublin County Council. “The restored Mill Cottages on the site of the 8th Century Round Tower are home to 8 rooms in which these stories unfold through sight, sound and stunning visuals. The opening of this exciting facility came after years of work between South Dublin County Council, the OPW and the local community and marks a significant investment by the Council into the economic, and tourism development in the county of South Dublin.”

Suitable for all ages, the interactive multimedia exhibition tells the story of over 1,000 years of Clondalkin’s history and heritage. The exhibition delves into Clondalkin’s medieval origins from the foundation of St Crónán Mo-Chua’s monastery to revealing intriguing clues to the town’s Viking past. Discover what life was like in Clondalkin during the 1800s, when the visitor centre buildings were originally constructed. Find out what makes the round towers of Ireland unique, and have your say about what you think makes them so special. Have a go at building your own Round Tower, dress up in costume and imagine what Clondalkin was like in days gone by. Admission to the exhibition is free!

The Visitor Centre is also equipped to host various event and in recent times has hosted the launch of the Dublin Economic Monitor on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities, and the wonderful open-air theatre performance of Pride & Prejudice.

ENDS

For more images please go to our Press Release.

For more information, contact South Dublin County Council Communications Unit at communications@sdublincoco.ie

FOR THE EDITOR

About The Round Tower, Clondalkin – Brú Chrónáin

Clondalkin Round Tower is about 1000 years old. It was built in the centre of an early medieval monastery, which was originally founded by St Crónán Mo-Chua in the late 600s or early 700s.

No one knows for certain why round towers were built or what they were used for. But most likely, they were mainly used as bell towers.

The tower is 27.5 metres high and just four metres wide at the bottom.  Like others around the country, Clondalkin Round Tower has a raised doorway and four windows at the top, which face towards the four compass points: north, south, east and west.

Inside there were once six floors, which were all connected with ladders. The original openings for the door and windows all survive.

Visit the exhibition at The Round Tower, Clondalkin – Brú Chrónáin to discover more about the Round Tower and Clondalkin’s medieval heritage!

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About South Dublin County Council

South Dublin County Council is one of four local authority areas in the Dublin region.

The Council provides and funds a broad range of services including housing, roads, walking and cycling routes, parks and playgrounds, libraries, sports facilities, litter control, arts centres, enterprise units, fire services, community infrastructure and financial support. It also serves as a platform for local democracy with 40 councillors spread across seven electoral areas.

Bounded by the River Liffey to the North and the Dublin Mountains to the South, the County lies 16 kilometres south-west of Dublin city centre and has an administrative footprint of 223sq. kilometres.

The County has nine main villages Clondalkin, Lucan, Palmerstown, Rathfarnham, Tallaght, Templeogue, Saggart, Rathcoole and Newcastle and is bounded by adjoining counties of Wicklow, Kildare, Dublin City, Fingal and Dún Laoghaire.