The tower was part of the Carmelite monastery founded in Athboy around 1300. This monastery was erected in honour of the Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel, and, in 1317 land was given by William de Loundres to the monks.
Stranger’s Corner – the North side of the tower. A Celtic stone head of a man with his mouth open apparently shouting is built into the North side of this tower about 15ft above ground level. There is a legend that as the devil was once an angel he can’t be entirely excluded from Christian places of worship or graveyards; but he is only allowed on the North side, so men and boys were employed in olden days to go up into the tower and shout and make a lot of noise so as to drive him away.
A vault in the graveyard to the Cusack-Ludwidge of a high altar tomb thought to be most likely the end of the 15th century was reassembled and is now found in the church.
Oral folklore suggests that an underground passage, which is thought to commence at Ivy House and passes near the graveyard to Danescourt House, was used for body snatching.
The remains of the old town walls of Athboy extend from behind the Church of Ireland and include, at the rear of the Darnley Lodge Hotel, an old watch-tower. As Athboy was located on “The Pale” then it follows that those living outside this wall were “Beyond The Pale”.
Athboy 100 