Staigue orStaig (Irish:an Stéig orCaiseal Stéig) is a ruined stoneringfort eighteen kilometres west ofSneem, on theIveragh peninsula inCounty Kerry, Ireland. The fort is thought to have been built during the lateIron Age, probably somewhere between 300 and 400 AD, as a defensive stronghold for a local lord or king.[1]
It is at the head of a valley opening south to the sea, surrounded by a ditch over 8m wide and at present 1.8m deep.[2] The fort's walls are up to 5.5 m (18 ft) high in places, 4 m (13 ft) thick at the bottom and 27.4 m (90 ft) in diameter.[3] The inside is reached through a 1.8m passage roofed with massive doublelintels.[4] Staigue represents a considerable feat in engineering and building. It was built withoutmortar, using undressed stones of local sandstone.[1][5] Vertical joints visible in the wall show that gaps were left during the building of the wall to allow access and were filled in later. There is also a tapered, lintelled doorway. Inside is an elaborate network of stairways leading to terraces and corbelled cells in the wall reached by passages.[2]
There is evidence thatcopper was excavated in the surrounding area and it appears to be a place of worship, an observatory and a place of defence.[1]
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51°48′19″N10°00′57″W / 51.80528°N 10.01583°W /51.80528; -10.01583
