Ireland, Dingle Peninsula + Pubs
Apologies in the day gap – I feel asleep writing this one the other night.
Next on the agenda – Dingle!
Think someone exclaimed “you said what?” when I said we went to Dingle 😂 The name was part of a number of running jokes with my family throughout the trip, too. Good times and plenty of laughs!
We set out for Dingle by taking, yet again, small lane roads, along the coast. And to my surprise (not really), we came across another beach. Heaven for me! Of course, like all the other beaches, we pulled over and did a little exploring. That beach was called Blue Flag Beach…and oddly enough, it was illegal to take sand from the beach. I never really had seen that before, but it was okay because I managed to get sand from a few other beaches, plus rocks and shells – I was set with my “things”. (Yes, that is a dead sheep on the beach. Must have fallen off the cliffs near the water…and washed ashore. Of course, I investigated!)
The coast line drive was perfection. The skies were clear, the grasses so green (duh!). The views and landscapes were just beautiful! I wish I could go back to those drives as I write this post.
In the town of Dingle…
Lord Baker’s Restaurant
Once arriving and checking into our B&B, we were destined for food…as usual for my family – always [good] food focused. The restaurant, Lord Baker’s, was on the Michelin list and introduced us to what might be my new FAVORITE dessert – sticky toffee pudding. The food was decent, but the dessert was to die for! It became the only item my family looked for on menus from there on out! Nom nom nom!
This restaurant also held some potential significance to us; it is yet to be determined. As I mentioned before, I have to do some research about my family history. Oddly enough, there was a picture on the wall above of our table of an older woman, by the name of Kate Kearney (maiden name Daly). As my mom was reading her short biography, a light bulb went off – my dad’s mom’s maiden name was Daly!!! We started to inquire with the owner, who told us that was his late mother-in-law and lived on the main Blasket Island until all the families left the island in 1953…and came to America. Like I said, it is to be determined if there is a connection, but how cool would that be if there was?!?! Can’t wait to work on my homework.
After dinner, we made the decision to finally hit up multiple pubs for live Irish music – as a family! It was awesome. The first pub had two guys playing – one on guitar, the other on an accordion and harmonica! Ahhhh, so fun! My dad even “danced”.
I highly recommend hitting as many pubs with music as possible!
Dingle Peninsula
Our first full day in Dingle was filled with making our rounds of “downtown Dingle” and driving the Dingle Peninsula. My mom and I ventured out first and found: local grocery stores, a coffee shop, and the harbor. (We didn’t do this, but apparently there is a dolphin living in the harbor named Fungie, who has been living there for over 30 years! I think I would go back and fall for this tourist trap easily. The boats don’t make you pay unless you see Fungie…let’s just say I was obsessed watching the videos on YouTube, which is exactly why I think I would be a sucker next time!)
Once the boys were awake, we got on the road to drive the peninsula, with coffee and sausage rolls in hand. Essentially, the idea of the Dingle Peninsula is to drive around the circle, stopping wherever and whenever you feel like it. Well, within means, since the roads are tiny and can’t just stop anywhere. But you get the idea. There was no shortage of things to do, see and visit. I am sure our trip took longer, because we stopped at what felt like everything.
We did the following on the drive around the Dingle Peninsula:
- Visited the Famine Cottages
- Took picture at random cliffs that looked over the coast ledge
- Held a baby sheep (yes, lamb, I know!), covered in his own crap – seriously!
- Visited another beach
- Toured the Blasket Islands Museum
- …And the coolest part – for you Star Wars fans out there – running to the top of Dunmore Head (film location of The Last Jedi) and stopping at the view point of Ceann Sibeal (film location of Star Wars Episode VIII – Jedi Temples).
- My parents didn’t join my brother and I on these side adventures, but the views were beyond captivating and worth making the hikes. I didn’t see the Last Jedi yet, but I can attest to the amazing view. WOW – take me back please!
[Top of Dunmore Head, below]
[The viewing point of the Jedi Temples at Ceann Sibeal, below]
Quinn’s
I always like asking the locals their favorites spots in town. So, back when we visited the Famine Cottages and held the “crappy” lamb, we asked the guy his favorites and where to go. With his five choices in hand, we proceeded around the Dingle Peninsula. After we finished the loop, we did our best to locate at least one of his selections. And that one we found was Quinn’s! (The guy was even there sitting at the bar watching rugby, but not really rugby!)
We were lucky because they had live music AND sticky toffee pudding. My dad enjoyed the music; my brother sipped his beers; my mom relived our running jokes; and I was chomping at the bit to order sticky toffee pudding. And let me tell you – it was even better than the last one we had. We even order seconds! Yum! (I need to figure out a good recipe…better start looking now!)
After food and music, we made our way back to Dingle…I had plans to go out – lol 🙂
Do you remember that very, very attractive Irish man I met in Killarney? Yeah, well, I was blessed with his presence in Dingle, too 😍 He came to hang out with us – well with me, but my brother tagged along. So, after my parents called it a night, we all went to listen to more music – and my brother continued to drink. Great evening – what I would do to be in those moments again! How do I get back there?
Despite staying out late, I was up early to talk to my mom about the next part of our trip. This is when our plans changed. We originally planned to head north, visit the Cliffs of Moher, Aran Islands and stay in Doolin and/or Galway for the remaining part of our trip. But based on some family things, we decided to backtrack to drive the Ring of Kerry and stay in Killarney for round 2.
Hey, I was in luck, because that put me back in my favorite town and there was a slight chance I might be able to see that very, very attractive Irish man – woop woop.
Stay tuned for my next post, featuring the long (and dreadful) drive around Ring of Kerry and Killarney 2.0 (my favorite). I will post everything post-Memorial Day weekend, so I hope everyone enjoys the time with their family and friends. Take advantage of the time and day off from work.