Staigue Fort.....

Staigue Fort is one of the largest and finest stone forts in Ireland and was probably built in the early centuries AD before Christianity came to Ireland. It must have been the home of a very wealthy landowner or chieftain who had a great need for security.

A wall up to six meters high and four meters thick - built entirely without mortar - encloses an area thirty meters in diameter. Several near-vertical masonry joints are visible in the wall, and these may indicate that the fort was built in stages rather than in one contiguous operation. The fort was entered through a narrow, lintel-covered passage in the wall.

The fort was the home of the chieftain's family, guards, and servants, and would have been full of houses, out-buildings, and possibly tents or other temporary structures. No buildings survive today, though two small chambers are contained within the wall. The top of the wall was reached by a series of steps which criss-cross against the inside of the wall. An earthen bank and ditch around the fort gave further protection.

Staigue - from An Stéig (the portion of land)