Overview
Caherconree (Irish Cathair Conraoi, ‘the stone fort of Cú Roí’) rises in the Slieve Mish Mountains on the eastern edge of the Dingle Peninsula. A Late Bronze Age stone wall is thrown across a triangular spur on its shoulder, with the ground dropping away in cliffs on three sides. The National Monuments Service records Caherconree as an inland promontory fort in state care.
The mountain gives wide views over Tralee Bay and the surrounding coast and hills on a clear day, but the fort sits on exposed upland ground, so the walk is a mountain outing rather than a stroll.
The myth and the history
The mountain’s name is bound up with Cú Roí mac Dáire, a sorcerer-king of Munster from the Ulster Cycle, whose stronghold was said to stand exactly where the fort does. The Triads of Ireland list Caherconree among the oldest buildings in the country, and the sagas claim Cú Roí could spin the fort at night to hide its entrance.
The best-known tale is Aided Con Roí. Cú Roí carried off the king’s daughter Bláthnat. To help her lover Cú Chulainn rescue her, she goaded Cú Roí that his fort was too small for a man of his standing; flattered, he sent his warriors down the mountain for more stone, leaving it undefended, and she poured milk into a stream to signal that the moment had come. That stream is still the Finglas (an Fhionnghlaise, ‘the white stream’), rising close to the ruins. It ends badly: years later Cú Roí’s poet Ferchertne met Bláthnat on a mountain path and both went over the cliff. Their grave is marked locally as Feart Bláthnat agus Feirceitne. A battle is also said to have been fought here in 637, remembered in the 12th-century Battle of Magh Rath.
The fort itself is tentatively dated to the Late Bronze Age, around 1500–500 BCE. The surviving wall runs about 110 m, stands up to 4 m thick and 3 m high, and cuts off the spur, with two possible original entrances at the north-east and terracing inside; there is a stone trough within the enclosure. Drone photogrammetry by the archaeologist James O’Driscoll picked out a second bank and ditch, which makes Caherconree a rare multivallate hill-fort of roughly two to three acres. A virtual-reality tour of the site from Voices from the Dawn has been published online, which is handy if cloud is sitting on the ridge.
Walking to the fort
The approach crosses rough upland ground and the fort has steep drops. Confirm access and a suitable route before setting out; this page does not give a trailhead or route, because current access and parking have not been confirmed. Use a map and compass, check the mountain forecast and leave time to descend in daylight. The way can be easy to lose in mist, so carry a map and know how to use it. Turn back in poor visibility or strong wind, keep away from the edges and leave the walls undisturbed.
On the mountain
- The promontory fort – a stone wall across a steep-sided spur. Standing inside it, with the cliffs falling away on three sides, is the point of the whole walk.
- Fin MacCool’s Chair – a rock feature on the ridge between Caherconree and Gearhane, named for the Fenian hero.
- The views – from the higher ground you can trace the coast and the surrounding mountains, with Tralee Bay to the north.
Practical information
- Facilities: none on the mountain. Bring water, food and a basic first-aid kit.
- Dogs: if you take a dog, keep it on a lead near the fort. There are cliff edges and it is a protected monument.
- Accessibility: deep peat, loose rock and steep drops. Not for wheelchairs or pushchairs.
- Access and parking: not confirmed. Check with the National Monuments Service and local walking information before travelling.
Best time to visit
The weather makes the day. Summer gives the longest light and the clearest air. Winter ascents are unforgiving: ice, short days and fast-changing cloud. Check the Met Éireann forecast, and be ready to turn back if visibility closes in.
If the top is in cloud the day you go, the Voices from the Dawn virtual tour is the next best thing to standing in the fort.