Dingle

Dingle was by far my favorite location.  From the bed and breakfast's cozy feel with no detail neglected and its incredible breakfasts and mouth-watering scones (Susie said she is convinced the owner and his brother who owns the B&B next door compete for the best breakfast in Dingle) to the friendliness of the locals.  Even more so, my love of traditional music reveled in the talent of the local musicians (you will be hard-pressed to avoid tapping your heels, smiling, and laughing while they play!).  We attended performances at the local pubs each evening where to talk during a performance resulted in a scolding "sshhh!" and people were asked to leave for the main pub areas instead of the back rooms if they were unable to keep quiet (Niamh Varian-Barry and Gerry O'Beirne knocked it out of the park).  We also saw Duo perform in the Dingle Music Shop and picked up penny whistles to play when we arrived back home (including one for each of my nephews and niece, much to my sister's chagrin, I imagine!).  The owner of this shop is quite the character and loves to tell a story or two while recruiting you for that night's concert in his shop (take him up on purchasing tickets for this...it was wonderful!).  We were surprised to hear that Rick had been at his shop the previous week and he showed us a video of Rick playing the piano (and well, I might add), surprised to hear that we are from Edmonds where this travel company is based.  It's a small, small world!  We also enjoyed a private concert at one of the B&B's prior to dinner

​

The day was finished at the Blasket Centre.  One of the few times we experienced rain, it drove home how difficult it was to live on these islands.  One of the local areas where they continue to speak Irish (the English translation of Gaelic), people had lived a traditional life here for centuries in fishing villages and carving out gardens from the harsh terrain until the area was vacated in 1953.  Not only are these islands bleakly landscaped, but they are surrounded by harsh winds that make one wonder how any were able to survive.  

​

Dingle is also known for Slea Head Drive that includes the Ring of Kerry.  We started the day with a visit to the local master craftsman Sean Daly's crystal workshop (Dingle Crystal) where he showed us how they carve crystal with the ease that could only come from years of creating these masterpieces (I recommending shipping any purchases here back to the States as they're quite heavy).  On this drive, we saw Iron Age ring forts, Gallarus Oratory, Kilmalceder Church, one of the remaining and intact beehive huts, and sweeping landscapes that created such a sense of peace in me, I did not want to leave this location.  The Reasc Monestary was of interest due to its excellent examples of open text, which was the local alphabet far before any other written language in the area.  In addition, Celtic and Christian carvings abound in this area.  Our group opted to all attend a fold music concert at St. James' Church.  We were blessed to hear Gerry O'Beirne again, playing both a 6 and 12-strong acoustic guitar, accompanying a vocalist as well as someone playing the traditional uilleann (elbow) pipes.  Unlike the Scottish bagpipes, the Irish version has no mouth piece to power the bags.  Instead, a billows system is used with the right elbow (see the pictures below as it is rather difficult to describe adequately).  The right arm is also responsible for pressing levers that change the tone, which is quite the challenge with the pace of some of the songs that were played.

​

The Great Blasket Centre was also an interesting experience as we gained a better understanding of traditional Gaelic culture.    

​

The next day was a free day, so we partook of the local shops (a great place to pick up traditional jewelry), our guide's scavenger hunt (though we did not win, it was a blast!), and ducked into St. Mary's Church to avoid the rain and were impressed with the stained glass (worth a visit for this alone).