Staigue Fort, near Castlecove, County Kerry, is located in a perfect place for a fortress. It is surrounded on 3 sides by mountains, and the fourth side is facing the sea. It is believed to have been built between 300 and 400 AD by a wealthy lord. It is made entirely of local stone and constructed without mortar. It is almost 300 feet in diameter and has walls up to 18 feet high and 13 feet wide, with only one narrow passageway to enter it.
Currently the fort is on private land, but the owner allows tourists to visit it. There is a gate to keep the animals safe, and next to it is a lockbox and a sign asking adult visitors to place 1 euro each in the box, kids are free.
The entrance was very low, so they were sitting in this picture.Once inside the fort, there were two tiny rooms built into the walls. We were not sure if these were used for storage or as protection when under attack. This panoramic view gives a good perspective of the whole fort. There was a sign that said there was a second wall around the outside of the fort, but that was no longer visible. All around the inside walls of the fort there were stairs to reach the top of the wall.Naturally, we climbed them all.Here’s one with the stairs and the entrance to one of the tiny rooms.This is a good view of the stairs. When looking directly at the wall, they were almost invisible.Another good view of the stairs
On the way back to the car the girls heard running water and had to investigate. They found a waterfall!
On the road to the fort from the Ring of Kerry, these beautiful flowers were growing wild all along the way. The sun lasted just long enough for us to finish at the fort, and then big black clouds rolled in and heavy rain made us cancel our plan to visit the Sneem Sculpture Garden. We’ll have to go back another day.
We're a homeschooling family of eight - five girls and three boys. Our children are ages 20, 19, 17, 15, 12, 10, 7, and 5. We will be living in Ireland for the next six months, and then going to Tennessee! This blog is a documentation of our travels. Enjoy!! :)
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4 thoughts on “Staigue Fort”
Hi Jen and family! Jen you are quite the photographer – the pictures of the fortress are lovely. It’s crazy to think of having to build such protection from attackers, though! Great to see so much sunshine and happy faces.
The weekend traffic here at the shore is definitely showing signs that summer is almost here. Can’t wait to see you all – it won’t be long now!
Yes, Bob said the traffic was crazy with the seafood festival in Belmar (he’s at my mom’s in Avon). After such a cold winter, everyone is eager to get back to the beach!
Brogans Across the Pond 
Hi Jen and family! Jen you are quite the photographer – the pictures of the fortress are lovely. It’s crazy to think of having to build such protection from attackers, though! Great to see so much sunshine and happy faces.
The weekend traffic here at the shore is definitely showing signs that summer is almost here. Can’t wait to see you all – it won’t be long now!
Suzanne
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Yes, Bob said the traffic was crazy with the seafood festival in Belmar (he’s at my mom’s in Avon). After such a cold winter, everyone is eager to get back to the beach!
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So many stones, rocks, slates! Maybe those small rooms were for the faeries! 🙂 zglad you investigated before the heavy rain arrived!
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Send this kids pic in for modeling – could make a killing with that face!!! 😘
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