The recent release of a band of Dark Age Irish warriors by Wargames Atlantic sparked my interest and I ordered a box straight away. Before they even dropped through the letter box I began to consider what terrain I had that might be suitable for this period; hills, trees, hedges and so on were no problem but buildings were more difficult to deal with. Round huts with turf or thatch for the roof were a distinct possibility and I did have a small medieval chapel that I decided I would like to use. A little research showed that many Irish chapels were accompanied by a very distinctive slender round tower with a conical roof. The towers date from the early Medieval period and are thought to have been built by Catholic monks. The Gaelic name - Cloigthithe - literally translates as bell houses which hints at their original purpose. But they were also used as watchtowers and as a place of refuge and safe storage during raids. So my challenge was set; selecting my favourite brand of crisps I enlisted help in emptying the tube and I was on my way!
1. The lid was discarded and the metal end was cut off before also being discarded. The edge which had not been cut was going to be the base of the tower since it was wider, bulkier and could more easily be glued to the base board.