Staigue Fort
Posted by: 
Ama&Papa
N 51° 48.280 W 010° 01.004
29U E 429898 N 5739801
This is a prime example of a 2000 year old castle made entirely of carefully laid stones without mortar. Amazing!
Waymark Code: WM3TG
Location: Ireland
Date Posted: 11/15/2005
Views: 55
Staigue Fort is one of the largest and finest ring forts you are likely to see in Ireland. It stands on a low hill in an amphiteatre of rugged hills open to the sea on the south.
The wall is up to 5.5m (18ft) high and 4m (13ft) thick, surrounding a circular area of 27.4m (90ft) in diameter. Inside the wall are two small chambers about 2.1m (7ft) high, oval in shape and waterproof, with a corbelled roof of the type also used in the much earlier passage grave at Newgrange. The interior of the fort is reached through a 1.8m (6ft) high passage roofed with enormous double lintels. Access to the ramparts is gained by a series of steps in the shape of the letter X.
The fort is surrounded by a large bank and ditch, still very obvious on the north side. Staigue Fort shows great skill in building. No mortar was used, the stones were not dressed and it is similar in style to the Grianan of Aileach in Co. Donegal. The dating of this site is difficult but it may have been built in the centuries preceding St Patrick, during the Celtic period. Dr Peter Harbison, however, suggests that the earliest possible date for construction is probably around the first century BC.
Accessibility: Full access
Condition: Partly ruined
Admission Charge?: no
Website: [Web Link]
|