Reaching out to the Heavens - The Round Towers of Ireland

The round towers are a unique Irish form of architecture - and have been puzzling antiquarians for centuries. They were classified as relics of a Phoenician fire cult, as phallic symbols to celebrate fertility, as Viking or even Anglo-Saxon landmarks and as treasure houses. Today most historians agree that the round towers were bell towers, marking monasteries and churches and used to call the faithful to prayers. Which does not exclude their use as a fairly safe repository for books and treasures.