After a great night out in Ennis, complete with Irish dancing and trad music, we set off for Day 6 of our All Ireland Rocker tour. And it would be a good one! We were off to the Dingle Peninsula to check out the westernmost area of Ireland. Some would even argue this to be the most westerly point of Europe (excluding Iceland!).
We had a bit of a drive from Ennis to our destination. We were glad, since that gave us a chance to relax and check out the scenery that was passing by. On our way, we passed by Bunratty Castle – a 15th century Tower House. It is now a famous tourist attraction, holding medieval castle banquets complete with a lord and lady, musicians, period costumes and entertainment!
Bunratty Castle
We also caught a glimpse of some ruins from the highway. I wonder what this used to be and what its history is… I think a road trip through Ireland may be in order – so we can explore small towns, castle ruins and stay as long or as short as we like!
We also made a stop to take in the gorgeous views of Tralee Bay.
The green of Ireland still amazes me. We live in the Pacific Northwest, in a temperate rainforest. And we think we get a lot of rain – hence Raincouver… But our green is still nothing compared to the green of Ireland.
We finally drove into Dingle just before lunchtime.
Dingle or Dingle/Daingean Uí Chúis, is a town on – you guessed it – the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry. Most visitors, like us, stop here before or after the Slea Head drive.
After getting off the bus, we were greeted by one of Dingle’s most famous residents – Fungie the Bottlenose Dolphin! It is said that Fungie has been living in the waters surrounding Dingle since 1983. He is apparently friendly with swimmers, surfers and divers. He is quite a celebrity in town – he even has his own Instagram account!
Fungie!
We were given some time to stroll around Dingle and to stop for lunch, before the highlight of our day – the Slea Head Drive.
Taking in colourful Dingle!
Wandering into a cute little stone archway, we came across Danno’s Restaurant and Bar. I settled for one of their specials – the Smoked Salmon Pâté dish, while Ioana got the clam chowder.
We still had some time after our lunch, so we went for a wee wander around Dingle. Love the colourful buildings!
And we couldn’t stop in Dingle without trying Murphy’s ice cream! Their ice creams are made with fresh and natural ingredients, right in Dingle. They even boast using “milk from the rare and indigenous breed of Kerry cow.” How could we not try it?
I got a scoop of Irish Whiskey and a scoop of Kerry Cream. Even though it wasn’t a sunny or warm day, the ice cream was just perfect – creamy, rich and flavourful! (We just discovered they have a branch in Dublin! Might need to stop by on our next trip!)
After finishing our ice cream, we headed back to Fungie and the carpark – excited for our next adventure and highlight of the day. Next up is the Slea Head drive!
Stay tuned for some epic photographs of waves, cliffs, beaches and beautiful sunsets – basically all of my favourite things!
Ioana and Natalie
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