Dingle Peninsula

The wild beauty of the Dingle Peninsula needs to be seen to be believed. From the stunning coastal road, you're faced with history and stunning beauty. The Atlantic waves pounding and shaping the coastline, the stunning beaches inviting to be discovered and the towns and villages providing you with friendly locals. 

Driving around the peninsula, take your time to discover the hospitality and scenery the area is famous for.

Inch Island:

Inch Island juts out into Dingle bay. It is here that you find the stunning blue flag Inch beach backed by a wind swept dune system. The beach is popular with adventure sport fanatics and water lovers in general. Close to the beach is a car park with public toilets and a cafe, accommodation and tourist shop are nearby.
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Annascaul village nearby inch island is where the young Tom Craen dreamed of far fledged adventures. Eventually, he would serve on three Antarctic expeditions with Shackleton and Scott. When he retired, he ran a pub, but barely ever spoke about his adventures to Antarctica.

Slea Head:

The Slea Head Drive is a must when you are visiting the Dingle peninsula. This spectacular route weaves and twists around the coast.

Along the route, there are plenty of tourist attractions to keep you occupied.

Dun Beag Fort:

The fort is dramatically set on a sheer cliff overlooking Dingle Bay. This promontory fort dates to 580BC and is one of the few remaining in Ireland. Excavations within the fort have shown that the fort was primarily occupied between the 8th and 11th Centuries AD, when it was defended by a series of ditches and earthen banks. Within those earthen banks was a substantial stone wall with on the inside steps allowing soldiers to defend the fort during an attack. To discover more, visit Visiting Dun Beag Fort

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Fahan Beehive huts:

A bit past Dun Beag fort, you'll find the Fahan Beehive huts which were once inhabited by monks during medieval times.


Coumeenoole beach:

With its pristine golden sand and jagged black cliffs, the beach will leave you spellbound. Enjoy the stunning coastal views or embark on a coastal hike. One thing we can definitely advise is to bring your camera.

Dumore Head:

The stretch of water between Dunmore Head and the Blasket islands is called Blasket sound. Where Blasket Sound provided ships with a shortcut, it came with its risks. The vessels risked unpredictable tides and offshore rocks. In 1588, at least 5 ships of the Spanish Armada negotiated the rocks at the entrance to Blasket Sound to take shelter. The 'Santa Maria de la Rosa' was less fortunate and hit Stromboli rocks and sinking immediately.

The islanders used to cross Blasket Sound using lightweight, canoe-like naomhogs made of tared canvas over a wooden frame. Where small, Naomhogs were used by the people of the Blasket islands as fishing vessels as well as a transport vessel.
They were very easy to manoeuvre and handle and would allow closer access to the rocky shoreline.

Dunquin Harbour:

With its iconic twisty road that leads down to the harbour, it is a much photographed place along Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way. From this pier, you can catch the ferry to the deserted Blasket island. Back in the day when the Blasket islands were inhabited, the pier was a lifeline for the islanders. They would transport livestock to the mainland to have it sold at the market in Dingle, the teacher would cross to the island to start a new term or tax collectors would make the sometimes treacherous crossing.
During storms, the island could be cut-off from the mainland for weeks on end.

The Blasket visitor Centre

After its 2.9 million refurbishment, the Blasket Visitor centre is a must visit. Learn about island life, discover more about the wildlife found around the island,....
To discover more, visit The Great Blasket centre .

After your visit to the centre, walk out towards the viewing platform and enjoy the stunning scenery. Each year, there is a competition to become caretaker of the Blasket islands. Your role is to manage the coffee shop and 4 holiday cottages on the Great Blasket Island. This involves meeting and greeting overnight guests, serving tea and coffee to day visitors and ensuring the day to day running are being met.  The job is for 6 months (1st April to 01st October) and includes accommodation, food and a wage. Days off are determined by the weather.
You could have a week of bad weather with  no sailings to the island, or you could have a few weeks of stunning weather.  

Clogher Head:

Clogher Head has some fantastic views. The enchanting circular bay of Clogher Beach with its small but stunning beach is encased by battered cliffs. In the distance, you can see the three sisters, three hills known as Binn Hanrai, Binn Meanach and Binn Diarmada. 
Sybil Head was selected as a filming location for the Star Wars movie “The Last Jedi”.

Reask monastic Site:

This early medieval monastic site was excavated during the 1970s. The monastery, surrounded by an enclosure wall, contains the remains of a church, some round houses, a workshop , graveyards,...

There are also stunning inscribed stones.

Gallarus Oratory:

The Gallarus Oratory is located a bit further passed the Reask monastic site and is believed to be about 1300 years old. The building  is one of Ireland's most iconic buildings. The visitor centre provides a great introduction to the old church. 
The church itself is the perfect specimen of dry rubble masonary. The roof is formed by the gradual rise of the side walls from the base upwards. For more info, visit Gallarus Oratory, County Kerry

Dingle:

Dingle is a colourful town that attracts many tourists throughout the season. For many years, Dingle's most famous local was a dolphin called Fungie. Fungie first appeared in the harbour in 1983 and stayed around until 2020. Unfortunately, Fungie hasn't been seen since. You can still admire his statue near the harbour.

Dingle is the place to be if you like great food, brilliant live music and art galleries. Where Dingle has a thriving arts community, there are plenty of galleries around the town.
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Conor Pass:

If you are visiting Dingle peninsula, it is a must to drive over Conor's pass. It's one of Ireland's highest mountain passes and provides the most stunning scenery.
But it comes with a warning, the road is twisty and narrow with some locations only room for one car, so keep your eyes on the road , which is difficult when you have magnificent scenery around each bend.
Vehicles over 2 tonnes in weight are prohibited from using the Conor pass. There is a fabulous car park and view point at the top, but hold your door tightly when opening it as it can be very windy.
Ice shaped the landscape around this area. Where the glacier covered the area, once it melted around 14,000 years ago, it left a new alpine landscape.

Castlegregory beach:

Castelgregory beach is the longest beach along the Wild Atlantic Way. A stunning beach and adventure playground brings you the pristine Atlantic and golden sand.