Dinging Around Dingle

---

Friday and Saturday, June 26-27 - Dinging Around Dingle

The Dingle peninsula is one of the most amazing parts of Ireland. It’s like a smaller but less crowded version of the Ring of Kerry, with a little bit of everything including ancient ruins, the ocean, farms, the mountains, and music in every pub. There are over 2,000 archeological sites in Dingle. One could spend an entire trip in this area, exploring the nooks and crannies of the land and climbing the mountains.

Milestone Bed and Breakfast

Our bed and breakfast was situated just on the outskirts of Dingle, away from all the traffic and with a splendid view of the bay and mountains. In fact, our B&B had an interesting feature because it had an ancient mile stone standing in the front yard. Our hosts at the B&B were Barbara and Michael. Barbara was a fountain of information and tips on what to see in Dingle. And we could never forget Michael, who served us the best homemade bread straight from the oven every morning.

Dingle Racetrack

Dingle is best seen by taking a road that loops around the peninsula. With the many tour buses this loop felt like a racetrack sometimes. You were always speeding up to avoid the tour buses or slowing down when you found one. The first stop was the Dunbeg Promotory Fort, a stone enclosure from the Iron Age perched on the edge of a cliff that might drop into the ocean at any moment.

Dunbeg Fort

The entrance was guarded by a solitary farmer and his 2 border collies who would let you enter for 2 Euros. The border collies didn’t pay any attention to me, because they were giving some sheep the cold stare. The sheep came running as I started down the path, expecting treats like the ones other tourists had given them. The border collies flipped out and almost tore down the fence to get at the sheep.

The fort itself isn’t much, but when you see it against the backdrop of the ocean and cliffs it is magnificent. As I was taking some video an overly aggressive seagull dive bombed my head several times. I don’t think he wanted me to throw a french fry in the air, I think he wanted me gone. After a few more minutes of tempting fate I gave the seagull back his kingdom and made my way back to the car.

Beehive Huts and Grouchy Sheep

A little further up the road we crossed a stream that literally flowed on the road and into the ocean. Just past the stream was a slew of ancient beehive huts in a farmer’s field that were used by monks several hundred years ago. Old Mary was the owner of the field and was very sweet as she took 2 euros from us to enter. Again there were sheep here but no border collies. These sheep watched Erin and I approach warily, and ran off when we got to close. I think they were grouchy. The whole time we explored the beehive huts we had to watch for sheep poo on the ground.

Three Sisters and the Sleeping Giant

The Dingle peninsula not only has many historical sites, but also several interesting geographic features. For example, there is the island called the Sleeping Giant because of its resemblance to a giant lying in the ocean with a hand on its belly. Alyssa had some fun mimicking the giant in photographs. Or the series of cliffs jutting into the ocean called Three Sisters which was awe inspiring to look at.

Sometimes the rocky shore would be broken up by little beaches or “strands” like the one at Dunmore Head. We explored this beach but quickly found out that the water was too cold, and too full of seaweed to swim in. The steep road leading to the beach was also a challenge for cars with manual gears. We made it back up the hill, but left the sweet scent of burnt clutch behind in memory of our visit.

Sea People of Ireland

This beautiful but rough landscape did not provide much of a living for the people of Ireland. But it was enough for the people of Blasket Island just offshore to beat the famine that plagued the rest of the country during the early 1800’s. We visited the Blasket Isles heritage center which celebrated the lives of the people who lived there and their culture. These folks were apparently great poets and writers, authoring some of Ireland’s best modern day stories in their original Gaelic language. Sadly, the number of people had diminished so greatly by the 1950’s that the island was abandoned.

The Irish Beat Columbus

Before Christopher Columbus or even the Vikings discovered North America, legend has it that St. Brendan of Ireland sailed forth in a traditional fishing boat and landed in Connecticut of all places. The tiny cove where he launched his boat is located on the north end of the Dingle peninsula and is still used by fishermen today. The girls had fun taking photos of cove but were afraid of the scary sounds made by the water as it entered the little caves dotting the cove.

Kilmalkedar and Alyssa’s Chores

Before leaving Dingle I had to get my fill of places that started with “Kil” and the church at Kilmalkedar did not disappoint. Set against the backdrop of the ocean, Kilmalkedar was stacked high with ancient Celtic crosses and even some of the mysterious Ogham stones from early Christian times. One particular Ogham stone with a small hole in the top stood at the front of the church.

Legend has it that the hole was used by people to make binding agreements by placing their thumbs through the hole until they touched and swearing on the graves of their ancestors and to God. As I explained the story to Alyssa, we illustrated the example by places our thumbs through the hole just like the ancient Irish. When our thumbs touched, I shouted “Clean your room Alyssa!!” forever locking her into an agreement to do chores. Alyssa let out a loud, “Awwww” when she realized she had been tricked by her evil father. Muahahaha!!!

As I said before, Dingle doesn’t disappoint. We spent a lot of time climbing mountains and exploring other places that I just don’t have time to mention. Suffice it to say, I think Dingle should be number #1 on any visit to Ireland.

Observations - Sheep Poo

At home we love the TV show “Dirty Jobs” where the host Mike Rowe roams the United States looking for the dirtiest jobs and places. In Ireland, the dirtiest place has to be near the sheep. On TV sheep are cute little domesticated animals with fluffy white fur that is pure as snow. In the wild, sheep are prolific poo makers. If it were not for their annual fleecing I think the poo that sticks to their fur would eventually consume them. Since sheep are everywhere in Ireland it’s really hard to avoid stepping in their poo at some point. See that impossibly tall mountain in the distance ? Climb to the top and I bet a sheep was there and left you some poo. When we get home, I think I am going to write Mike Rowe an tell him about the sheep of Dingle.

---

Photos

Dunbeg Fort
Behind me are the sheep and border collies.

Bee Hive Huts
Erin is smiling because she did not step in sheep poo.

Erin's Views
Erin takes in sweeping views of the Dingle Peninsula.

Alyssa at the Beach
Alyssa had fun writing her name in the sand.

Dunmore Head Beach
Great place for a picnic, just dont go swimming !!

Sweet Children
Alyssa and Erin fake being nice to each other.

Sleeping Giant
Alyssa mimics the sleeping giant.

Giant Giggles
The girls ham it up in front of the Sleeping Giant.