Day 7 - Dingle Peninsula, Ireland

Today the aim is to drive around the Dingle Peninsula, which juts out into the wild Atlantic, and is an area of outstanding beauty with rugged cliffs and seaside trails.

Along the Dingle Peninsula route, at every turn, is new scenery to look at and admire. It was difficult to decide where to stop and how many stops to make, aware that we would not fit everything in if we stopped at every scenic vantage point.

Along the Dingle Peninsula drive it is the ocean that dominates the view. The opal blue waters surrounding the green hills and golden sands are occasionally broken by fishing fleets which are moored after hauling their fresh catch of fish for local restaurants.

The main village of Dingle, which is a byword for traditional music, great pubs and seafood restaurants, grew strong links with Europe, particularly Spain, and this is evident in the architecture of some buildings in town, as Spanish merchants lived in Dingle.

Dingle was an important trading port during the 16th century with merchant ships trading wine and other goods with ports in France, Spain and Britain.

We walked around Dingle, sampling coffee and traditional fish and chips, looking in many of the shops, and admired local landmarks such as pubs and churches along our walk through town.

The impressive St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Green Street is a must see, not only for its dominating size, but also for the stained glass throughout the church. As Mass was in progress during our visit, no interior photos were taken as a sign of respect - but the interior is worth a look if ever in Dingle. The adjacent An Diseart, or convent, is also impressive with its large buildings and gardens, all accessible to the public.

Dick Mack’s Pub, also in Green Street, has retained its old world charm, attracting both locals and visitors alike. The pavement outside the pub has inlaid stepping stones, each with a star and the name of a famous person reputed to have visited the pub- including Julia Roberts, Timothy Dalton and Robert Mitchum, all presumably in Ireland when filming a movie.

One striking feature in Dingle is the coloured buildings everywhere you look. This gives the village a vibrant and cheerful feel to it.

We took a 1 hour guided harbour tour which took us around Dingle Harbour and into Dingle Bay. On this tour we were informed about the formation of the coloured cliffs and sea arches, local maritime history, the eta of the landlords and landowners, the Great Famine and Dingle’s connections to Spain and France as trading partners. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the island of Skellig Island where the recent Star Wars movies had scenes filmed here due to the weather. This is the iconic scene where Mark Hamill returns to the series (movies went somewhat uphill but still downhill from here)

Dingle is also famous for Fungie the Dolphin, who was by far the most famous resident. Fungie has not been spotted in recent years leading to speculation of his whereabouts.

We took the Connor Pass, Ireland’s highest mountain pass provided a stunning and scenic way of crossing from the north to the south of the peninsula. The road is narrow in parts, allowing only one car to pass at a time, all the while with steep drops on the side - all the more reason to drive carefully on this section of road. We stopped at several lay bay to take photos of the stunning scenery, including sheep precariously perched on ledges in the nearby hills.Read more