Staigue Fort (Cathair Na Stéige): Sneem, Co Kerry

It’s a place of mystery, of time-travel, of being in the past. It’s Staigue Fort, located on the Ring of Kerry, near Sneem. Staigue Fort is an early masterpiece of stone fort building in Ireland. It’s one of the largest, and was likely built in the early centuries AD.

Staigue Fort is a circular fort, and the walls are all hand-built of stone with no mortar. The walls go up to about 6 meters (19.5 ft), are up to 4 meters (14f t) wide, and the enclosed area is 30 meters (98 ft) in diameter. There are two small rooms within the walls – entered through tiny doors. Our then 8 year-old daughter was able to go within and even stand up, but if you can’t easily bend yourself in half then I’d avoid checking out those small rooms.

Staigue Fort is reached by a narrow, winding road. There’s a visitor centre near N70, as you turn onto said winding road. There’s also a donation box (suggested: 1 Euro) on the gate (to keep the sheep in). Walk up a path bordering a stream, watch for sheep and sheep droppings, and then enter through a stone lintel door. If the rain is lightly misting, and you’re the only ones there, you can easily imagine glimpses of smoke, tents, animals, and people from long ago milling about this defensive fort.

• Wandering Educators: Staigue Fort
• Archaeology Travel: Staigue Fort, Ireland: From the Modern Day to the Iron Age in Just Four Miles
• Megalithic Ireland: Staigue Stone Fort
• Wikipedia: Staigue Fort

Written by Jessie Voigts

Jessie loves to travel, especially to Ireland and Scotland. When she’s not wandering, she and her family live on a lake in Michigan. She is the publisher of Wandering Educators, a travel library for people curious about the world, and founded the Youth Travel Blogging Mentorship Program. Jessie’s Tips | Website