Between Carryduff and Lisburn, with views across Belfast and the Lagan Valley lies the hamlet of Drumbo, with its historic Round Tower, now situated the graveyard of the Drumbo Presbyterian Church.

The tower is one of the oldest monastic monuments in Ireland, dating from around the early medieval period. It was around in AD1130 when records show that it was plundered by one Connor McLochlin.

The tower was built to give commanding views of the Lagan Valley, to watch for encoring Viking raids. Its walls are over a metre thick, and it originally had six levels including a basement. The image of the interior shows beam holes in the walls to support wooden flooring.

The foundations of the ancient monastery are still extant in the cemetery, but barely visible.

The Gaelic ‘Druim Bo‘ means the ‘Hill of the Cow’ and the hamlet lies in the historic barony of Castlereagh Upper, in County Down.