Martello Tower's

With the threat of a French invasion in 1798 the British decided to build a number of Signal Towers around the coast of Ireland,and in 1809 the number of Signal Towers around the coast of Donegal was thirteen. Long before the invention of radio these towers were used for communication purposes as well as watch towers.The signal system consisted of lights inside large panels with shutters on the front. The shutters were operated in a coded "open/close" system by ropes at the base of the tower.The on/off light system. This was in principle similar to the "Morse code system" in radio.The on/off bleep sounds that one might hear on a short wave radio.

The labour force of woman and men were used in the construction of these towers. Woman carried sand and gravel up in creels and donkeys.They received two pence per day. The men received four pence per day. The towers are about forty feet high