Just take a short walk north-west of Ballycarbery House and you will fine two magnificent Celtic Ring Fortresses.  There isn’t a location anywhere with so much Irish archaeology so close together.  There’s much to see and enjoy when you step back into a time when Ireland was a place ruled by clans, chieftains, druids and tribesmen.  Both of these forts are just a few hundred meters from Ballycarbery House. 

The older fort, Leachnabuaile ('Hillside of the Summer Pastorage') is a fine, partly-reconstructed stone fort on a large rock foundation with its stone walls enclosing an almost circular area. Protected on three sides by steep grassy slopes, the entrance is on the eastern side. The walls, mostly 10 feet thick and with irregular steps leading up on the inside, contain the remnants of a square dwelling house built on top of earlier circular ones; another clochan on the western side has a cavity leading to a long souterrain. Excavation produced Iron and Bronze Age objects, suggesting the existence of an early Christian farming community. From the top of the ramparts there are fine views down to the coast and Ballycarbery Castle.  

The larger fort, Cahergal (Cahir Geal) was extensively reconstructed in the 1980’s.  Some argue that this gives the fort a rather inaccurate stature in comparison to the more modest reconstruction done to Leachnabuaile many decades before.   Both of these forts represent the glory era of the powerful Celtic tribes in the Iveragh peninsula.  The Celts were the founders of the Irish race and their history is well rooted in these magnificent forts.

The Celts 

The Celts have a storied history.  Linguists, archeologists, historians and geneticists generally agree that the Celts were a loose collection of tribal peoples who shared similarities in language, religion, commerce, warfare and law. They were very powerful throughout most of Europe in the latter part of the first millennium BC. They were largely subjugated by the Romans, except in those areas now typically described as “Celtic” today, such as Ireland. 

The Celts have been described as the “First Europeans,” and their migration to Ireland reflected their diversity within a generally common language and culture. It is believed that at least three distinct groups of Celts ended up in Kerry, for instance.                   

The earliest were the Picts who arrived in the north from Britain, probably around 500 BC. One tribe of the Picts were the Ciarriage, from which Kerry (Chiaraí) took its name. According to the legends, Ciar, son of the Picts’ Queen Mebh of Connaught, ruled over what is now Kerry.                                                                                  

Another group was the Erainn, also called the Iverni or Fir Bolg, who landed in Cork and Kerry. These were the builders of the stone ring-forts common in Kerry. One of the finest example are Leachanabuaile & Cahergall at Ballycarbery and Staigue Fort near Caherdaniel. They also migrated north and were the progenitors of many of the famous names in Irish mythology – Cu Chulainn, Conor MacNessa, Dierdre, Cu Roi MacDaire and Niall of the Nine Hostages.

Finally, the Gaels arrived around 100 BC, settling in this area as well as elsewhere in Munster, and in County Meath near Dublin. According to the folklore, these Celts are believed to be descendants of the Milesians, who are linked to the Iberian peninsula. Eventually, as the Eoganacht, they wielded considerable power throughout the province of Munster, where they ruled from Cashel in Co. Tipperary. In this area, the Eoganacht Locha Lein ruled from Killarney. They are believed to be the ancestors of three famous families in the area—the MacCarthy’s, the O’Sullivan’s and the O’Shea’s. 

Most of the Celtic peoples in this area, however, were the Corcu Duibne, from the Erainn Celts, and the Ciarriage. The Corcu Duibne settled on this side of the Iveragh peninsula, and the facing side of the Dingle peninsula. Their rulers lived at Ballycarberry, across the Fertha River from Cahersiveen. It is likely that they originally inhabited the two ring forts in that area, and later built the impressive Ballycarberry castle, now in ruins, using building techniques brought to Ireland by the Normans.

What the Celts Left Behind

In addition to their many lasting influences on Irish culture, the Celts are associated with several archeological remains in Kerry. First, the stone ring forts in this area are attributed to them, particularly the Erainn who landed in Cork and Kerry around 300 BC. It is very possible that they built these fortifications to establish footholds in this new land.
Cahergall, is a strong fortification apparently used for defensive purposes. The other, Leacanabuaile appears to have been used more in conjunction with farming in the area. The defensive ringforts frequently included a chevaux-de-frise, which is a band of upright stones set close together. This building technique is also found on the Iberian peninsula, reflecting a possible place of origin of the Celts who landed in this area, or perhaps just indicating trade interactions. 
Needless to say, the profound influence of the Celts remains strongly engraved in the Iveragh landscape to this day.