Ireland: Dingle Peninsula and 30 years

 It is gushing buckets of rain, and the winds are rocking our little Nissan car as Josh carefully drives on the left side of the two lane road, nearing what is considered the end of the Ring of Kerry and entering into the next rugged coastline where we are headed for the next leg of our journey- the Dingle Peninsula. We continue winding around the curvy coastal road, overlooking steep rock-walled ledges, which keep us from falling into the crashing waves below. We pass a ‘blue flag’ beach at Inch and quickly hop out of the car to take photos, gawking in amazement that people actually swim on this coast at some point in the year despite the elements we’re seeing now… the wind overtakes us as we snap some footage; Josh’s hat blows off his head and we chase after it…being pushed and pulled any which way by the wind, I manage to snatch it up and jump back in the car slamming the door shut and catching my breath inside. We relish in the warmth of the little Nissan and drive onwards, hoping to make it to our hostel before sunset. The rain continues, but the scenery begins to change slightly into more rolling hills, of rich green farm pastures, separated by the dry stone fences- a trademark of Ireland.

We continued down the hills as they opened up into a harbor area, with small colorful fishing boats anchored in the waters. We have made it to Dingle town!

I immediately knew I was going to love Dingle. Its vibrantly colorful streets are lined with B&B’s, quaint shops, and adorable pubs, all with their Irish Gaelic names, known for their live music sessions. Dingle is the quintessential Ireland; still a small fishing town untouched by time, but bustling with life.

I already love Ireland. And Dingle took it up a notch. It was the perfect place for a big milestone- and a big milestone I had to celebrate indeed- I turned the whopping 3-0 our first night in town! Yikes!

We celebrated my birthday in greater style than our budget typically allows for, and had dinner at a nice family owned restaurant, Lord Bakers. The owner himself was our waiter, and we had some delicious fresh caught fish of the day. Afterwards, we hit up one of the local pubs and listened to a set of live musicians playing some traditional music. It was perfect. My birthday present was practical (and in budget)- some wool socks made locally from the sheep in Dingle- to keep my feet from going numb. Exactly what I needed to make it through our cold stretch of the trip.

While Dingle is primarily known for being a fishing town with an authentic live music scene, it is also has another claim to fame- its town mascot- Fungie the dolphin! Fungie is a bottlenose dolphin who has been living in Dingle Bay by himself (without a pod) since 1983. There are several different boat tours that take you out around the bay to see Fungie, and also give you a scenic tour around. Although it was very cold out (and kind of touristy) to go ‘find Fungie,’ we felt like it would be a perfect opportunity to get a view of the bay. Seeing Fungie would be a bonus. We took the boat tour in early afternoon after bundling up in all our layers, and we did indeed find Fungie!

He seemed to love swimming with the boat, so once we found him, he kept coming back and forth around the boat and we got to spend a lot of time with him. It was SUPER cold and windy (and wavy toward the Atlantic), but the views of the bay were awesome and Fungie was playful and cute!

After the boat tour we had lunch at a pub nearby, and got the specialty, seafood chowder soup. It ended up being our absolute favorite food on the Irish leg of the trip! The soup was incredibly fresh and had various types of fish and shellfish in it, with a side of homemade soda bread. Served with a pint of Murphy’s Stout, it was the perfect meal after a cold boat ride (we actually loved it so much at that particular place that we went back a few times).

seafood chowder

 Our second evening in Dingle we decided to go to a live folk concert at a small old church called St. James. It was the best decision we made- the music was fantastic! There were 4 local musicians who played two sets; one was a piper (bag pipes and flute), two were guitarists and singers, and one was an accordion player. They did all sorts of different songs, ranging from slow and sad, to upbeat polka beats.

One of the guys, Tommy, sounded just like James Taylor when he sang, and it was one of the best, most intimate shows I can remember seeing. The accordion player was beyond skilled, and was moving so fast my eyes could hardly keep up with him. It was an incredible night of entertainment, and so great that afterwards we went down the street to Tommy’s bar where more live impromptu music sessions were playing. Tommy’s cozy bar was packed to the door, but we ended up squeezing into some seats where we could see the music well, and made friends with an awesome couple from Tennessee and their parents from Alabama, who were on a trip together around Ireland. Tommy jumped back into the session at his place too, so we were spoiled to hear more of his songs. We had a ball that night, and it goes down as one of the best pub nights I can remember.

Beehive Huts

The next day we headed out on the famous Slea Head Drive road trip- this is a circular drive similar to the Ring of Kerry, but much smaller- 30 miles long. To me it was even more beautiful than the Ring of Kerry. We stopped at numerous different spots along the drive, including Dunbeg Fort and some beehive huts that all dated back to 500 B.C.

Dunbeg Fort

Other highlights included the Great Blasket Centre, Dunmore Head, Gallarus Oratory, (an early Christian church built 1,300 years ago), and the Kilmalkedar church ruins.

Kilmalkedar Church

Slea Head Drive

We ended the day by going through Conor Pass, which is the highest mountain pass in Ireland, providing incredibly dramatic views of Dingle and its surrounding peninsula. It was a great day, though very cold and windy again. The wool socks came in handy!

Conor Pass

Josh and I weren’t originally planning to come back to Ireland on our RTW trip, but last minute decided we had to see the Gaelic western coast- and I am so grateful for our change of plans. Dingle and its peninsula are filled with a magic and beauty that can hardly be described. I may have gotten older in Dingle, but Ireland made me feel like a little kid all over again, with its good old-fashioned fun, and its jaw dropping new experiences.

Conor Pass Drive

Slainte!