Visiting Staigue Fort: Everything You Need to Know
I was so lucky to stumble across the mysterious Staigue Fort in the Ring of Kerry in Ireland. The Staigue Fort is an impressive fortress, also known as Na Stéige in Gaelic. Its was built in the stone age, when Ireland was primarily inhabited by the Celtic people. Its hard not to be curious about this ancient fortress, and have lots of questions such as, when was Staigue Fort built, and why?
We stumbled upon Staigue Fort by chance, because we were staying at an Airbnb not too far away from it. Staigue Fort was by far, one of the most interesting buildings I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to over 30 countries so far), so I’m exciting to share everything there is to know about this gem in Ireland.
While I’ve come to see many stone circles throughout the UK, the Staigue Fort stands out as one of the more impressive ones that I’ve seen. I’m going to uncover all your burning questions about this majestic fort and everything else you need to know about the Staigue Fort so that you can plan a visit there as well.
Visiting Staigue Fort: Everything You Need to Know
Getting to the Staigue Fort and Where to Park
Staige Fort is located along the Ring of Kerry, halfway between the villages of Sneem and Waterville. Both of these towns are 20 km (12.5 miles ) away in each direction. If you’re visiting the town of Killarney, it would take about an hour and a half to reach Staigue Fort.
In the town of Castlecove on the N70, you’ll see a brown road sign marking the direction of Staigue Stone Fort. Make the turn. From that road, its about 4 km (2.5 mile) dirt road leading to the stone fort parking lot. The road is very narrow and bumpy. Drive carefully, and take it slow! It was a lot bumpier than we expected!
Securing a spot in the parking shouldn’t be too difficult, as its quite large, and there aren’t normally massive volumes of people visiting. It has gained popularity in recent years, but getting a spot shouldn’t be too hard.
Once you park, you’ll need to walk a dirt path and over a bridge that overlooks a creek. From the parking lot, it is about a 100 m walk to get to the Staigue Fort. We found the walk there to be quite scenic, and took many photos of my three year old daughter hanging out in the trees by the creek, and of the tiny waterfall. We’d recommend to enjoy the walk and the views, and don’t rush it, especially if you’re with children.
What to Know About Opening Hours for Staigue Fort
Staigue Fort is always open, as there is no ticket office or anyone monitoring it. However, the walkway to get there is located on private property, so treat the walking path respectfully as you would anyone else’s property.
There is a small honesty box to pay for your visit, which is basically to pay a “land trespass charge.” (Which isn’t as bad as it sounds.) As of last time I checked in 2026, the land trespass charge was €1 per person, children being free. I felt this was small price was well worth it, considering the landowners don’t have to lend out their farm for people to get to the fort, and its also very well maintained. Make sure to show your support for the maintenance of this ancient attraction!
Since the path to get to Staigue Fort is on private land, the landowners could lock the gate at any time, preventing anyone from visiting. So, its best to visit during normal daylight hours, starting from 8 am until dusk sets in.
Is Staigue Fort kid/stroller friendly?
Oh yeah, Staigue Fort is super kid-friendly. Like many attractions in Ireland, Staigue Fort can be visited and enjoyed by people of all ages. The path from the parking lot to the fort is an easy walk for anyone. My child, who was 3.5 years old at the time, had no problem walking to the Staigue Fort from the parking lot. We even took some time to enjoy the stream and small waterfall.
I allowed my daughter to climb the walls of the Staigue Fort under close supervision. This is done at your own risk. We wouldn’t allow a child any younger than her at the time to climb the walls without very close monitoring.
The walk to Staigue Fort is also flat and very stroller friendly. However, once you reach the fortress entrance, there is no way to enter with a stroller, because of the small wall opening in the passageway to get in. (You can see this clearly in the picture below.) So, you’d need to leave your stroller just outside the fortress while you explore inside. My advice is to leave your stroller in the car, and simply walk to the Staigue Fort with young children, or carry them in a carrier if they’re very young.
The weather is rainy year-round in Ireland, so come prepared with a rain jacket and wellies (rain boots). Since the Staigue Fort is located atop a hill, it can get quite windy, so I don’t recommend bringing an umbrella into the fort.
How big is the Staigue Fort exactly?
Its hard to tell from photos, but the Staigue Fort encompasses an area of 90 ft (30 m) in diameter and18 ft (6 metres) tall. It also has a 6 ft long passageway that you enter through (pretty cool!) This is what makes it stand out to me as what one of the coolest stone circles I’ve ever seen; it’s hard to imagine something that large and that old still being so much in tact.
Yes you can! Of course, its not the same as being able to experience these ancient stone walls in person.
When and Why was Staigue Fort built?
No one can say for certain exactly when Staigue Fort was built. When you visit the Staigue Fort, the plack will tell you that it was built in the early centuries AD, before Christianity came to Ireland. However, some believe it to be built in the first century BC. Either way, this makes the building around 2,000 years old – quite impressive! Staigue Fort is extremely well built and preserved for how old it is.
Most would assume that these walls must have been built for defence during a war. In 1812, a military man named Charles Vallancy concluded that the Staigue Fort couldn’t possibly have been built for defence purposes, because it doesn’t have a parapet (which is a wall that is used to duck behind in battle.)
In reality, Staigue Fort once contained village belonging to Celtic people. The Celts were a group of people that lived in tribes all across Europe. The Staigue Fort was a protective wall for a tribe’s village inside of it. There were homes and tents at the time of use, none of which are still there now of course. The chieftain’s family, servants and guards lived in these homes, protected by the walls of the Staigue Fort.
Where to Stay + Eat Near on the Ring of Kerry
The Ring of Kerry has a range of accommodation options to suit every budget. Here are our suggestions:
- Luxury: Parknasilla Resort and Spa. Get the most out of your Ring of Kerry experience by treating yourself to panoramic views of Kenmare Bay and the Kerry Mountains.
- Budget: Black Sheep Hostel. This prime location budget accommodation has private rooms, as well as shared rooms. Built in a cozy, historic building with a fireplace, Black Sheep Hostel is located in Killarney, just a 3-minute walk from St. Mary’s Cathedral.
- Mid-range: Brook Lane Hotel. Just a 5-minute walk from the centre of Kenmare, this boutique hotel provides a free gourmet breakfast, and a cozy atmosphere to return to after a day of sight-seeing in the Ring of Kerry.
Food Near Staigue Fort
The Black Pub is less than 10 minute drive from the Staigue Fort. This highly rated, legendary Irish Pub serves traditional Irish food in a scenic setting in the tiny village of Castle Cove. If you’d like to travel further west along the Ring of Kerry, you could also stop 11 minutes away, at O’Carroll’s Cove Restaurant and Bar, or Pompeii Pizza Kerry for a rustic, wood-fired pizza experience.
Overall, Is Staigue Fort worth visiting?
Visiting the Staigue Forth is definitely worth it, and makes a good, unique stop during your road trip of the Ring of Kerry. I found Staigue Fort to be the most interesting things we saw during our trip to the Ireland. We were lucky to come across it by chance, when we noticed the sign on our way back to our Airbnb. I’d highly recommend seeing the Staigue Fort to anyone visiting the Ring of Kerry.
Conclusion: Staigue Fort and Everything You Need to Know
Staigue Fort is an impressive ancient (literally ancient) building that provides a unique experience for anyone visiting or who lives in Ireland. I was fortunate to have found this fascinating gem in the Ring of Kerry while I was there, and am thankful at how well it is maintained and that it continued to be open to the public to view and admire. This fascinating structure has stood the test of time for 2,000 years, and hopefully many more to come. Be sure to show respect of the property surrounding the Staigue Fort, so that the landowners continue to maintain and keep it open to the public for years to come.
While there is no giftshop near Staigue Fort, you can get Celtic symbols on jewelry as a souvenir from Ireland.
Here is the Ring of Kerry distance from major cities in Ireland. If you can’t make it out to the Ring of Kerry or Staigue Fort, then Voices of the Dawn offers a pretty cool virtual visit of the Staigue Fort:
We hope that you have found this guide on Staigue Fort and the Ring of Kerry helpful!