Dingle, Ireland

I'm telling you upfront that Dingle is my favorite place we have been to thus far. Yes, even more so than skiing the Alps or London or Amsterdam. Dingle is a small town in the southwest region of Ireland that has retained the Gaelic culture. So this is the real deal. Spencer (here for his Spring Break), Dan, and I made the best of Dingle in our short time there.

The harbor in Dingle

I knew I would love Ireland from the moment we landed in Kerry, forty five minutes from Dingle. The slogan "40 shades of green" is no joke. It's very green and very beautiful. On our taxi ride to Dingle, our driver told us about the area and filled us in on some history and culture. He also gave the two finger wave to everyone we drove by. If you have ever driven in West Texas, you should know exactly what I'm talking about. The friendliness of everyone in Dingle made me feel genuinely welcome to be there. The slow pace of life made the trip that much better. All in all, I felt relaxed and at home in this quaint old town and no other European city has made me feel that way.

When we arrived in town, we walked around a bit to scope things out. Among other stops was a craft guild that sold local products and a hardware store called Foxy Johns with a pub inside. What's wrong with sipping a local Crean's brew while browsing for power tools? Of the 52 registered establishments in Dingle, 35 are licensed to sell alcohol. That should help explain the slow way of life.

We took a nice walk from the Marina, out along the harbor, and up to the lighthouse that guides ships in from the Atlantic. It was absolutely beautiful on the rocks below the lighthouse where we just sat and stared. There was a dolphin swimming and birds were diving for fish. It was truly unbelievable. I actually feel like I could be writing fiction right now. On our walk, several storms blew through, each only for five minutes or so. Just another reminder of Texas and its unpredictable weather.

The Lighthouse

After checking into our lodging, we ate dinner at a local restaurant. Dingle is known for their fishing so we all ordered a fresh fish dish, straight from the docks. Afterward we enjoyed beer and conversation at a couple pubs, one of which had live local music.

The next day was a 26 mile bike ride around the peninsula Dingle is on. The ride follows the narrow Slea Head Drive out to Slead Head (the westernmost point in Europe and the closest we could get to Austin, Texas) and back around to Dingle. We made many stops along the way to soak in the sights. Among our stops was a beach where we played with a dog, some 4,000 year old buildings, some great lookouts, and a local pottery store. It was a long day that may or may not have included some uphill bike pushing for a particular unnamed member of our group. Cough Spencer Cough.

We recouped back in Dingle with some delicious ice cream. I chose to mix the Guinness and Bailey's ice creams at which point Dan blurted out that my ice cream was like an Irish Car Bomb. You have to assume that saying such things is sort of taboo while in Ireland.

Murphy's Ice Cream Shop

Our trip to Dingle came to an end sooner than I hoped for but it was time to drive over to Killarney, near the Ring of Kerry. The next day in Killarney, we took a few hikes in Ireland's largest national park. From there, we headed off to Dublin for St. Patrick's Day.

Everyone knows baby sheep are adorable