Malinda Lo
Blog
Jun 4, 2010
Photo Friday: Dingle
One of the most incredible places I visited in Ireland was the Dingle peninsula, which juts out of the west of Ireland in County Kerry. The first hint that this was going to be a spectacular place was the road on the way there:
The road to Dingle
The Dingle peninsula is a pretty popular place for tourists, but not quite as popular as the Ring of Kerry (on a peninsula just south of Dingle), so we got to avoid some of the more kitschy stuff. However, the Dingle Pub in Dingle town outdid pretty much everything else we saw in Ireland for being so stereotypically (and hilariously) “Irish”:
The Dingle Pub
I didn’t get it in this picture, but on the side of the building the pub owners have painted a giant (and I mean giant) four-leaf clover.
Dingle town is pretty tiny; there’s only a couple of roads. But because it’s right on the sea, there’s a lot of fishing, and there’s absolutely fabulous seafood. Our first night there we were lucky enough to score seats at Out of the Blue, a seafood-only restaurant on the harbor. They only serve the day’s fresh catch; if there was a storm and the fishermen didn’t go out, the restaurant doesn’t open. Here’s my dinner from that night:
Dinner at Out of the Blue
The scallops were amazing! They were served with grilled halumi cheese (the kind that squeaks when you bite it!), seriously incredible roasted potatoes and a very excellent salad.
The big thing to do on the Dingle Peninsula is to drive around it, hitting a bunch of Stone Age ruins and spectacular views on the way. Here’s some of what we saw:
View from the Dingle peninsula
Looking through the ruins of a stone fort
Slea Head
We stopped for a late lunch at the Tig Bhric pub, where I had beef-and-stout stew. (It was, of course, delicious!)
Lunch at the Tigh Bhric pub
After lunch we continued on, encountering more sheep.
I'm on the right, watching the sheep go by
I really enjoyed the drive around Dingle. We were lucky that it was such a gorgeous day — sunny and bright, though the wind could make it a little chilly because you’re right on the water. (Although we’re used to that, since we live in Northern California.)
If you have a chance to go to Ireland, I highly recommend Dingle. It was fantastic. We were sometimes the only people wandering through the ruins (albeit we were not there in the high season), and there’s nothing better than experiencing nature and the past all alone.
Have a great weekend!
It looks wonderful there. I’ve only ever visited Dublin but will have to put Dingle on my list of must-visits… and as for your food photography! I could even see the steam rising off your pie. Brilliant.
I’m headed to Dublin in a week for a fiction workshop! It’s put on by the University of Iowa and is called the Irish Writing Program. One of the excursions i’m going on is to Dingle. Any tips as to where to go/what to do? Cheap food since I’m a poor college student?
Your best bets for cheap food will probably be the local pubs in Dingle. (Out of the Blue is a bit pricey.) I think Murphy’s pub in Dingle isn’t bad. There’s also an ice cream shop in Dingle (I think also called Murphy’s!) that might have sandwiches and stuff. And great ice cream, which I tried.
Have fun at your fiction workshop! That sounds wonderful. Oh, when you’re in Dublin, you should definitely go to the Queen of Tarts for some amazing scones. Affordable and delicious.
Thanks! Any Dublin tips? Did you find any good used bookstores? I hear they are everywhere.
Someone recommended Chapters Bookstore to me — it’s on the north side near the Writers Museum (pricey, and not really worth it, IMO). It is amazing and HUGE. They have new and used, and great discounts. And Dubray Books on Grafton Street is an indie that has been very supportive of ASH; I stopped in there to sign stock. They have a great selection, too.
Fantastic. I’ll be sure to check it out and probably pick up my copy of ASH. I have such a long list, but it’s on there, inching it’s way towards the top. My roommate (no, not that kind…) really enjoyed it so I can’t wait to tackle it!
so gorgeous! and that meal looks mouth watering!
Hi Malinda! Thanks for the great post on Dingle! I live here myself and it’s always great to hear people enjoyed their stays. Tell everyone to come on over!
Annie