Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Staigue Stone Fort

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Wednesday, 10th October 2007

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This is the Staigue Stone Fort, a beautiful round Iron Age fort located in County Kerry, Ireland. Although exact dating is difficult, this fine example of an Irish ring fort could be up to 2,000 years old.

The walls are up to 5.5 metres high and 4 metres thick, and impressively it was built without the use of any mortar, using undressed stones. Even better though, if you visit in person you’re actually allowed to climb the steps and parade around on the ramparts!

There might be as many as 60,000 ring forts in Ireland1, many of which were only discovered thanks to the advent of aerial photography.

So it shouldn’t be too hard to find yourself an undiscovered one then, huh?

Read more at Wikipedia. Thanks to Paul Woodard.


  1. Probably the two most famous, Grianan of Aileach (satellite) and Hill of Tara (satellite) sadly aren’t yet covered by high-res imagery. 

3 Responses to 'Staigue Stone Fort'

  1. ajho says:

    There is a pair of forts (Cahergal and Leacanabuaile) just north of Cahersiveen (Cathair Saidhbhín) that show up nicely in Google Earth/Maps
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  2. Tammo says:

    And there’s actually rooms within those drystone walls … quite impressive.

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