Leacanabuaile Stone Fort

The Leacanabuaile Stone Fort is a National Monument in County Kerry, set just outside the pretty village of Cahirciveen. It sits only a short walk from the older Cahergal Stone Fort, and the easiest way to visit both is to park in the designated car park conveniently located between them. Entry to both ring forts is completely free.

​Leacanabuaile (or cashel) dates back to around the 9th century and was originally built as a defended farmstead. Perched on a rocky outcrop with sweeping views over the surrounding landscape, it offered its inhabitants excellent natural protection and a clear vantage point against any approaching threats.

The fort has been extensively excavated and restored, offering visitors a remarkably complete impression of how a cashel might have appeared during the ninth or tenth century. Enclosed within its 2.5‑metre‑thick stone walls are the remains of four houses. The oldest of these is a circular hut built against the western wall. Excavations uncovered a variety of artefacts—including iron knives, pins, bone combs, and millstones—shedding light on the daily life of its early inhabitants.  

​Also within the protective walls is the entrance to a souterrain: a narrow, roughly one‑metre‑high underground passage that zigzags for about 11 metres before opening into a chamber built into the fort’s walls. This hidden passage may once have served as an escape route, allowing occupants to slip out unnoticed when danger approached.
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