Dingle Peninsula

Leaving Killarney, a two-hour drive will bring you to Limerick, but rather than taking a direct route, take the time to explore the lovely Dingle Peninsula. It’s a very special place, a narrow promontory of harshly beautiful land and seascapes where the people are especially friendly and welcoming to strangers. The road from Killarney to Dingle town takes you northwest to Castlemaine where you follow the coast road west through Inch to Dingle town, the largest settlement on the peninsula (it’s only an hour-and-a-half drive from Killarney to Dingle). Plan to spend at least two nights on the peninsula to experience the beauty and tranquility offered by the unspoiled scenery of the spectacular beaches and rocky promontories that lie to the west of Dingle town. Take time to wander along the beaches or walk along the lanes, where fuchsia hedges divide the fields and friendly locals wave a salute of welcome, and to take the trip to the Blasket Islands. Because Irish is the official language of the peninsula, signposts are in Irish (though commercial maps are in English) so we give the Irish in parentheses to aid you in finding your way. We outline a route that will take you on a half-day drive around Slea Head. But for a real appreciation of the 2,000 archaeological sites of the Dingle Peninsula (peppered with lots of interesting stories), we recommend forsaking your car and taking one of Sciuird’s minivan or walking tours. Michael and his dad, Timothy, offer tours that range from an hour’s walk round Dingle town to visiting ancient, Ogham stones, wedge tombs, standing stones, and ring forts. (Sciuird, Holyground, Dingle, Co Kerry, tel: 066 9151606, email: collinskirrary@eircom.net.)