It’s day #9 which means it should be April 29th. We’re going to roam around the Dingle Peninsula today but we’ll come back to the Benners Hotel for another nights stay. It was apparently quite a rowdy night last night as the Dingle Pub, which is across the street from the Benners, was having a well known Irish Dancer (son of the owner?). Our erstwhile driver, Ray, was convinced that we all should go for a pint and enjoy the dancing.
I did go over for a wee look but the place was packed and I could hardly hear myself think. I must be getting old if I’m about to miss one of the highlights of a backroads tour. Ray seemed to be in pleasant spirits this morning so at least someone had a good time. Some of the others also went across the street and raved about the rave.
We’re off along the coast again in search of the Gallarus Oratory, a unique stone chapel that resembles an upturned boat. But first, a stop along the coast for the obligatory photo shoot. Pat and Fred just had to get in the way.
The countryside is also looking gorgeous and we can see signs of spring attempting to break through.
The Gallarus Oratory is an amazing structure. It is built without mortar and was clearly constructed by someone with some engineering skills. There is no confirmed date of construction but in 1970, archaeologist Peter Harbison argued that the oratory might have been built as late as the 12th century for a number of reasons, mainly because the east window has a rounded top made of two carved stones and not an arch.
Our next stop is the Blasket Centre, which celebrates the history of the beautiful Great Blasket Island. The museum is quite modern and tells the story of the island and the islanders, including those who were last to leave as permanent residents.
From the promontory there are great views looking towards Blasket and the Atlantic Ocean.
We’re heading back to Dingle but along the way we stop for another photo op. The image below shows the spot were an intrepid Irish priest? set out to travel in a boat not much bigger than that one you see. He apparently explored far and wide and that’s about all I recall. No name, no date, no destination, except I do think he made it home to great fame (not) and great fortune (not).
Next stop is the home of Dingle Crystal. This is a family run business and owner Sean Daly was pleased to give us a demonstration of his pattern cutting techniques.
All of the patterns on the various crystal pieces they have created were designed by Sean and reflect the Celtic heritage and landscape that is the Dingle Peninsula.
Off we go back to the Benner and I’ll close this episode with a few images of Dingle itself.
Stand down