Access available during daylight hours
Access available during daylight hours
Facilities
- Car park
Restrictions
- Uneven Surfaces
- Uneven walkways
Access available during daylight hours
Access available during daylight hours
Staigue Stone Fort is a state-owned free site in the care of the Office of Public Works
*Access to site: Walking Trail
*Gated with public toilet (which might be closed)
One of the largest intact iron-age stone forts, or cahirs, in Ireland, dating from c.300 BCE
One of the largest intact stone forts in Ireland, this suggested iron-age building, known in Irish as a ‘cahir’, and thought to be one of the oldest in the country, dates from between 300 and 400 BCE.
Located in a spectacular mountainous amphitheatre, and standing about 150 metres (500 feet) above sea level, this imposing fortress is built of stone without mortar. It is entered through a two metre (6 feet) high south-facing passage door in the wall that is over 4 metres (13 feet 5 inches) thick, and leads into a space that appears to be perfectly circular.
Burrowed into its interior wall are two cells that were once thought to be the habitations for Pictish slaves. On the interior wall are ten flights of steps on two tiers, arranged in an X configuration. The moat, of fosse, surrounding the wall is c. 8 meters (26 feet) wide and over 2 metres (6 feet) deep. It has been suggested that the fortification was built to protect the valuable iron-age asset of cattle.
Protect our Past - Click here to read about the importance of protecting our country’s unique heritage sites
This national monument is protected in accordance with the National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014
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