This is the oldest urban civic building in Ireland, and it has played a central role in the country’s history since the 12th century. In 1170, the Irish-Viking ruler of Waterford, Ragnall MacGillemaire, was imprisoned here, after losing the city to the Anglo-Normans. The tower is named after him. In 1170 Strongbow met his future wife, Aoife, here, changing the course of Irish history, and in 1690, James II is said to have climbed the tower to survey his lost kingdom after the Battle of the Boyne. Today, the Tower houses a museum.