Staigue Stone Fort

Staigue Stone Fort - Jessie Hodge - cc

Traveler's Note

4.50/5 (4 votes)

Location:
Iveragh Peninsula, (County Kerry)

Type:
Irish ringforts

Staigue Stone Fort is a 5th century circular fort, located on the Iveragh Peninsula, not far from the small village of Sneem. Now in ruins, the Staigue Fort is truly a large, ingenious and fascinating construction… Its visit is very popular with tourists… What’s more: the visit is free!

History of Staigue Stone Fort

A Fort built for a local lord

The Fort of Staigue is not clearly dated, but its construction would be between the IVth and Vth century .

It would have been built for a local king and was then used as a stronghold to watch over the surroundings and warn of possible assailants. Its defensive structure confirms this hypothesis…

Over the centuries, the fort was finally abandoned and left in ruins… The Irish State has since classified it as a historic monument, and it is possible to visit it…

Visit the Staigue Stone Fort

A ruined fort, with imposing defensive structures

The Staigue fort is located in the middle of the wilderness, on a slightly hilly hill. Impossible to miss, the fort has walls up to 5.5 metres high and 4 metres thick. As for the size of the monument as a whole, the fort totals more than 27 metres in diameter, surrounded by a deep defensive ditch.

And to add to the gigantic construction, the fort is made up of several hundred tons of stones, essential for the elevation of the walls… It should also be noted that Staigue Fort Stone was designed without mortar, using only a set of stones precisely installed one on top of the other to form a homogeneous construction, with no risk of landslide.

These are fascinating figures, which let you imagine how ambitious the construction of the fort was at the time!

If you wish to discover more, a door almost 2 metres high will allow you to enter the enclosure and admire the ingenuity of the construction. From a neophyte’s point of view, the fort can be compared to an arena in its current state: the interior walls are laminated with ledges (similar to steps) allowing you to walk along the walls on several levels.