A LARGE CHUNK of Ireland’s most famous prehistoric promontory fort has fallen into the sea in County Kerry due to recent storm damage.
The Dun Beag fort is situated on the Dingle peninsula in County Kerry and is estimated to be over 2,500 years old.
A 10 metre section of a large drystone rampart has fallen into the sea and the entrance passage into the Bronze Age fort has also collapsed into the wild Atlantic Ocean below.
Around 600ft over the sea, the fort and the cliff area is popular with tourists. However, the headland area, like much of Kerry’s coastline is soft
The peninsula took some serious damage over the last few days as Storm Eleanor battered the Irish coast.
The Office of Public Works has closed the national monument to the public and has issued a warning to people to stay away from the site for the near future due to increased danger.
“The OPW cannot emphasise enough the absolute dangerous nature of Dun Beag Fort at this time and asks that all visitors, for their own safety, refrain from visiting the site until further notice”, a spokesperson for the office told RTE News.
The OPW also revealed that their own officials as well as officials from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will carry out a detailed inspection of the site early next week.
Isabell Bennett of Dingle Peninsula Tourism told RTE News: “We would hope that the public will be able to access what remains in the future, but that obviously depends on an expert safety assessment.
"Dun Beag Fort is in many respects the jewel in the crown on the Slea Head Drive.
“Its dramatic location and the fact that it’s one of our finest and most spectacular examples of a promontory fort meant that thousands visited it every year.”
