The imposing round tower in Ferrycarrig, County Wexford, is often mistaken for a genuine medieval Irish round tower, but it was completed in 1858 as a monument to the Wexford men who lost their lives in the Crimean War.
Crimean War
During the 1800s, Ireland was still under British rule, which meant that many Irish people served in the British army. At the time of the Crimean War, it is estimated that 30 to 35 per cent of the British army consisted of Irish soldiers.
The Crimean War was fought between 1853 and 1856. An alliance of Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont went to war with Russia over religious differences and a fear of Russian expansionism. Of the just over 111,300 British soldiers deployed to the Crimea, it is believed that over 30,000 were Irish.
In his book Ireland and the Crimean War, historian David Murphy estimates that 7,000 Irish men lost their lives during the conflict.
Tower
Designed by Edwin Thomas Willis of Rowe Street, Wexford, the tower stands 24.5 metres tall with a diameter of 3.5 metres.
Stone from the medieval FitzStephen ringwork, the first Anglo-Norman stronghold in Ireland built in 1169, was reused in its construction.
The foundation stone was laid on 8 October 1857 by the Earl of Carlisle and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, George Howard. A time capsule was buried beneath the foundations on the same day. The capsule consists of a heavy casket, which holds a parchment scroll, a list of those who contributed to the tower’s construction, and a newspaper from that day.
The tower sits on an elevated position on the southern bank of the River Slaney, overlooking Roche’s Norman tower house on the opposite side. The round tower and its memorial plaque can be viewed up close by visitors to the Irish National Heritage Park.
The monument’s design explains why it is so often mistaken for an original round tower. Typical Irish round towers were built between the 800s and the 1100s. Although their purpose is sometimes disputed, most historians agree that they were probably used as bell towers and as places of refuge. Stories of Christian clergy using the towers to escape from Viking raiders appear in many history books.
The memorial plaque on the tower reads as follows:
IN MEMORY OF THE OFFICERS, NON COMMISSIONED OFFICERS AND MEN OF THE COUNTY WEXFORD WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE CRIMEAN DURING THE WAR WITH RUSSIA 1854 – ’55 – ’56
The tower underwent a major conservation project in October and November 2014 after a lightning strike and storm damage caused structural issues. The restoration included the installation of a lightning conductor.