Part 5 - Round Tower, Cape Town

Black and white print

A view of a replica Irish Round Tower located in the Philippi area of the Flats region near Cape Town in South Africa. The tower (formally known as St. Patrick’s Shrine) was built on the slopes of Table Mountain which overlooks the city of Cape Town. The tower was constructed by Fr. James Kelly, an Irish Catholic missionary. The tower was a noted landmark in the Cape Flats district and acted as a focal point for annual St. Patrick’s Day’s festivities for Cape Town’s Irish community with the spire bedecked with national colours. The tower was demolished in 1978.

Fr. James Kelly (1858-1933) was a Waterford-born Catholic priest and was the founding editor of 'The Southern Cross' newspaper in 1920. For a biography of Fr. James Kelly and additional information on the round tower see https://www.scross.co.za/2021/12/the-first-editor-of-the-southern-cross/