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Staigue Fort —County Kerry

(4km from Castlecove.) This is probably the finest example of a stone fort in Ireland and is about 2500 years old. It is built of stone common to this district and is almost circular, 27 metres in diameter. The wall almost 4 metres (13ft) thick at the base and 2 metres (7ft) thick at the top. The north side is still perfect with some of the old coping stones, 90cm (3ft) long, still in position. The wall is 5.5 metres (18ft) high on the north and west sides. It has a square-headed doorway and inside are two small chambers. One on the west side and another on the north. The stairways, which are probably the most interesting feature of the fort, run inside the wall almost to the full height of the wall, and these stairs lead to narrow platforms on which the fort's defenders stood. The fort holds a dominant place in the folk culture of the Iveragh Peninsula.