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Dingle Peninsula
When in Tralee or Killarney most visitors ignore the Dingle Peninsula, which is a pity for them. Those who spend time on the peninsula will experience the mirage of Ireland you see when you close your eyes for real. The beautiful hills not only offer spectacular views, but are also dotted with ancient remains covering Irish history from the Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age, until modern times.
You are definitely not the first to be charmed by the Dingle Peninsula. In 1968 David Lean chose this location to film the epic love story Ryan's Daughter. For this film a complete village, Kirrary, was built using local resources. The village Kirrary is not on the map because it was demolished once the film was completed. The locals are still proud of event, although this happened over 35 years ago. We are not exactly sure whether they are proud because Lean fancied their peninsula or because it gave a boost to the local economy.
The Dingle Peninsula is paradise on earth for the hiker. More experienced hikers will find a challenge in Mount Brandon while the less hardened hiker can enjoy the many round walks whether guided or not.
The Queen of the hiking trails is the Dingle Way, a six to nine day walk over the peninsula. You can walk the Dingle Way by yourself or signup with one of the many guided tours.
Dingle
Dingle Harbour
(authors collection)
The friendly fishing town Dingle, or in Gaelic Daingean Uí Chúis for obvious reasons commonly shortened to An Daingean, is an excellent base for exploring the surroundings and home port of the ferry to the Blasket Islands. In daytime the town offers plenty shops to kill some time. The visitors who are not interested in shops, assumable mostly male, will enjoy themselves in the busy harbour. At night the pub is the place to be and live music is the name of the game.
The most famous resident of Dingle, or Dingle Bay to be precise, is Fungie. Fungie, a male bottlenose dolphin, appeared in the waters of Dingle in the mid-1980's. A dolphin near a harbour is not unique on the west coast of Ireland, but unlike the other dolphins Fungie seemingly has chosen to spend his life in solitude near Dingle. Initially his self-appointed job was to accompany fishing boats, but in the course of the years he lost his timidity and started to play with virtually everybody in and on the water, although it is said that he has developed a slight preference for women.
Those who want to meet Fungie can sign up for one of the many boat trips. Some of these trips includes the opportunity for a short swim (wetsuits and snorkelling equipment are for hire). Obviously some animal protectionists oppose against these trips and especially the swimming part. However, Fungie is in all aspects a free animal. Apart from scraps from the fishing boats he does not receive supplemental food and he can leave Dingle any time. In our opinion these trips are a perfect manner to get acquainted with this creature of God, or, as stated on the statue of Fungie: At the dawning of the new millennium we celebrate Fungie the Dolphin who since 1988 has made Dingle Bay his home. His joyous and generous spirit reminds us that all Earth's creatures are connected in the great Web of Creation. Let us be caretakers.. The purport of this caption is strikingly similar to that of the song A Place In The Choir.
If you are interested in fish, sorry things of the sea, but rather stay on dry land you might enjoy Dingle's Oceanworld Aquarium. The huge fish tanks with colourful and marvellous creatures can be visited every day of the year.
With Fungie and the Oceanworld Aquarium Dingle is definitely worth a place on your itinerary if you are travelling with children!
Only a few visitors will come to Dingle because the local tourist office praise the town as the most westerly town of Europe.
Slea Head
Clochán or Beehive Hut
(authors collection)
Most ancient remains on the Dingle Peninsula are situated on the far end of the peninsula in the triangle Dingle Town - Slea Head - Feohanagh, near a scenic coastal ring road. The sites are overall easy accessible, yet not always signposted. No fear though because virtually every pub and hostel in Dingle can provide you with a map.
For some mysterious reason the majority of the visitors drive the ring road a clockwise direction.
It is a good idea to start the round tour with a nice walk along Ventry Strand before heading to Fahan. The hillside between Fahan and Slea Head is littered with clocháns, or beehive huts. These beehive huts are ingenious structures made by layered rows of drystone so that each course overhangs the previous one creating a vault. This technique, corbelling, gives the huts their distinctive appearance. In contrast with the common use of clocháns as monastic cells used by monks to meditate the Fahan clocháns appears to have been use for habitation, a theory supported by the fact that some of them are clustered and walled to form small settlements. More recently the beehive huts were used for storage or animal shelter.
It is unknown when the beehive huts were built because corbelling has been practised from the construction of the passage tomb at Newgrange in the Bronze Age until the mid-1900's. The extensive usage of the huts by humans and animals is not exactly helping the archaeologists either.
Famine Cottage
The Famine Cottage, also situated near Fahan, can without a doubt give the visitor an image of the harsh life of the people of the Dingle Peninsula in the nineteenth century. The name Famine Cottage is however a bit deceiving.
The originally thatch roof is replaced by a slate roof in the 1860's, thus after the official end of the Great Famine, and the annexes such as the Tigh na mBá, or cowhouse, and the An Stábla, stable, are dating from the 1880's.
Do not miss the wonderful panorama and the view on the Blasket Islands at Slea Head while continuing the round tour.
Reasc Monastery
The highlight of the tour is situated a few kilometres further down the coastal road. The Reasc Monastery was probably in use from the end of the fifth century until the tenth century, but it is said that the site has been sacred for ages. Luckily the enclosure, containing several carved stone slabs, burial ground and huts, was excavated in 1974 by professionals who handled the findings, which are now at the museum in Ballyferriter, with care. Among the findings are slabs carved with a mixture of Celtic and Christian patterns, illustrative for the unique incorporation of Christianity in the existing pagan religion.
In other regions in the early Christian sphere of influence the pagan religion was, whether with violence or not, replaced by the only then existing form of Christianity, Roman Catholicism. Christianity in Ireland, by some authors referred to as Celtic Catholicism, on the other hand adopted the ancient sacred sites, wells, stones and symbols and ancients legends and heroes are immortalised by the penmanship of the monks. Despite of the successes of the Irish monks this interpretation of Catholicism obviously touched on a sore spot in Rome and the relation between Roman Catholicism and its Celtic counterpart remained troublesome for centuries.
Kilmalkedar Church
Gallarus Oratory
(authors collection)
Gallarus Oratory
(authors collection)
A bit further down the road is Kilmalkedar Church located. This twelfth century church is built on the site of a monastery attributed to Maolcethair who lived in the seventh century. Traditionally however the site is associated with Saint Brendan.
The main features of Cillmaolceadair, or Kilmalkedar Church, are several inscribed stone pillars and slabs, among which an Ogham stone, a sundial and an alphabet stone. The inscription on the Ogham stone, probably a remnant of the earlier monastery, reads Anm Maie Inbir Maci Brocann, meaning The name of Mael Inbir son of Brocan (learn by heart to impress every visitor on the site!).
Gallarus Oratory is within walking distance from Kilmalkedar Church. Gallarus Oratory is built in the eighth century and is a fine example of an early Irish Christian church. To really appreciate the craftsmanship of the builders you have to visit this corbelled drystone structure when it rains. Even after being exposed to sea winds and rain for over 1200 years the Gallarus Oratory is still watertight.
Loch a'Dúin
Guarded by Mount Brandon, in the south-west and with Brandon Bay in the east Lough a'Dúin, or Lake of the Fort, provided the ideal conditions for Bronze Age farmers to refine their techniques and skills. There are plenty of monuments and remains of enclosed settlements, but the most worthwhile feature are the walls of the ancient field system. Although most walls are covered by peat there are some exposed stretches.
Even without the ancient monuments a visit to Louch a'Dúin is worthwhile because of the scenery. The rich flora, sandy beaches, dominating mountains and the two picturesque villages Cloghane and Brandon are just too challenging to ignore for the hiker.
Conquering the second highest mountain of Ireland, Mount Brandon, might be too much for the average hiker. This mountain is named after Saint Brendan, or Brendan the Voyager or Brendan the Navigator. It is said that Saint Brendan spent some time on the summit and those who believe this legend find support in the presence of a sixteenth century monastic cell near the summit. The less than experienced hiker can take the easiest westerly route from Ballybrack, or the more difficult east route which starts in Cloghane. Do not underestimate the terrain and weather. Refer to the weather forecast before commencing the climb because strong winds and heavy rain can turn the hike in a perilous undertaking.
A wide selection of walking tours, included guided tours, is available at the tourist information office in Dingle and Cloghane.