Ireland: The Ring of Dingle

It was our privilege in September to take a 4 day weekend to the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland. It is the most Western portion of land in all of Europe. It has a small population and is very rural. The cliffs on the sea are breathtaking. The weather was fabulous. We were fortunate!


Bob's first time to drive on the left. It was easier being a rural area.

Domestic animals dotted the landscape. The sheepdogs did their job well.

We loved it here. Below you see both father and son chasing sheep. They did not want to be petted.

Bob and I climbed to this high peak to view the Blasket Islands.

Dingle has been our door to Ireland. It is beautiful and rustic. Gaelic is spoken here. We felt just a little bit Irish.

Ireland: Ring of Dingle's Archeology and History

The Dingle Peninsula has many archaeological sites, from hundreds to thousands of years ago. The above was a ruin of a fort thought to be built and used as a battle look-out around 800 BC.

We often encountered domestic animals as we explored.

Called Bee-Hive Huts since they are shaped like a Bee Hive, these ancient dwellings are thought to go back to the 1200s.

This stone table was found at a Primitive Museum.

The Gallarus Oratory was a Primitive early church building from about 800 AD. It is one of the first church structures in Ireland. It still remains dry inside during rainstorms.

This ancient Celtic Cross is at Gallarus Oratory. The oldest crosses were stones with markings.

We stumbled on this ancient marker as we climbed to the top of a hill to see the Blasket Islands better. Archaeological wonders are all over the Peninsula. Many are to be discovered and not in landmark locations.

This stone house at Slea Head is probably from the last 100 years. Stones are so plenteous it is no wonder it is the building material for fences and buildings.

The Great Blasket Islands are located just of of the Dingle Peninsula. It used to be inhabited by a small population until the 1950s. It is well known for its writers who wrote about historic Irish culture during the first half of the 20th century.

This is a sample room of a Blasket Islands home.

http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/activities2.html
http://www.dingle-peninsula.ie/blaskets.html

Ireland : Dingle

A lovely rainbow over the town of Dingle... the largest town on the Dingle Peninsula.


Gaelic is the official language of the Dingle Peninsula. Children all over Ireland come here in the summer to learn Gaelic.

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Fish and Chips on the menu. We enjoyed eating at the local pubs.

The Harbor of Dingle

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Dingle's Aquarium on the harbor is a fun family place to go.

Murphy's Ice Cream has unique flavors including Irish Whiskey.

We stumbled upon a soccer game... Gaelic Football, we discovered it was called. It reminded us of American Football as a contact sport. Certainly it brought out a lot of local interest.

Ireland : Dingle Pubs and Stores

Pubs in Dingle are a great place to eat. We enjoyed our first meal at Murphy's Pub.


This Pub is a hardware Store and Bike shop by day, and a pub by night. It's not uncommon for pubs to have more than one purpose in Dingle.

This SuperValue is one of the cheapest places in town to eat. Buy something and go on a picnic on the Bay.

http://www.irishshop.com/dinglepubfronts.html

You can buy a poster of the front of Dingle Pubs. It's a colorful town!