graveyard of the town's modern Catholic church. It has a well-preserved tenth-century Irish round tower, with the exception of its topmost section and capstone. The tower was built between 973 and 1013, a period during which the round tower proliferated, wherein they provided a defensive vantage point, a place of safety for church riches and fortification against raids from the north by the Danish, Norse-Gaels and raiding Irish clans. According to legend, the round tower's capstone was struck by lightning, and landed half a mile away on the hill of Tavenish. A local woman is said to have carried the heavy cap stone in her apron to the church, where it still remains today The tower was partly restored in 1969 and leans slightly to the north. Ancient monuments and legends There are a number of ancient monuments in Aughagower, some of which are locally reputed to trace their origin to the time of St. Patrick's ministry in the parish. Leaba Phádraig (Patrick's bed) is said to have been a place where St. Patrick rested, which it has been suggested may have housed a hut or tent, used in the daytime as place of work for St. Patrick. Dabhach Phádraig (Patrick's vat or tub) is a circular bath surrounded by a stone wall, where pilgrims may have washed their feet, and which may have been used by St. Patrick and his household as a washing place. Due to local drainage the well is now dry except in extremely wet weather. A sheela na gig (Irish: Sighle na gCíoch) was found in a nearby ditch, and the Mayo Historical Society organised for it to be fitted to the outside wall of Dabhach Phádraig in 2001. It was moved in 2017 to an internal wall for security and to make it easier to find (the light conditions affect how easily the figure can be made out), and it now forms part of Dabhach Phádraig's eastern wall. St. Patrick's Knee is a small stone in the graveyard with a small recess carved out of it, which is filled with water. Local legend states that St. Patrick kneeled on this rock and left the imprint, and the water that gathers in it is thought to be holy. Tobair na Deocháin (the Well of the Deacons), now dried up, was where pilgrims drank water while performing the pilgrimage. A tree growing over Dabhach Phádraig was