This is one of 28 Martello Towers built along the Dublin coastline. The original purpose of the towers was that of a lookout during the Napoleonic War as it was feared that French troops would make use Ireland as a base from which to attack Britain. The walls were extremely thick which meant that they were resistant to cannonfire. The Sandycove Martello Tower was built in 1804.
Though the Martello Towers were thankfully never required to fulfill their military purpose, many of them are still standing today and have since been ascribed an alterntive use.
It is one of the larger examples of these towers, and it also has an adjoining building which would have housed up to 20 soldiers during its military life.
Today the Sandycove Martello Tower is now home to the James Joyce Museum, as it features in Joyce's great work of literature, Ulysses, and the author himself is known to have lived in the tower for a period of time.
References
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Joyce Museum Page | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
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Irish Martello Towers Project | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
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Totally Dublin | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
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Dublin City Buildings | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
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Coast Monkey | Ireland | VIEW SOURCE |
