When I lately made the tour of the south west parts of Ireland, I saw several of those buildings called usually Penitential Towers; not one of them had either belting or girting, nor the least sign of there having been any room in them till within ten feet of the top; that room had windows exactly facing the cardinal points; from thence, downward to the entrance, which is about fifteen feet above the surface of the ground, only a few slits were cut, just to give light to persons going up or down the stairs. These towers are all built of stone, and exceeding strong, the stones and mortar remarkably good; and in general they are intire to this day, though many churches near which they stood are either in ruins or totally destroyed.