Irelands Dingle Peninsula

Trying to navigate toward one of the most spectacularly beautiful seaside villages in all of Ireland was a challenge. The Dingle peninsula was indeed beautiful, but managing our own car through the narrow paths which the Irish call roads was an interesting experience! Mother Nature was being kind at least – the clouds were rising and the extraordinary loveliness of the countryside was all around us. Rainbows were everywhere we looked. Mountains flowed into valleys so deep it was impossible to see.
This was a day of delightful wanderings. As we drove around the peninsula, we found many places to stop and explore. There were beehive huts which we found incredibly entertaining – running from hut to hut, peeking out at the jaw-dropping panoramas and wondering what it would have been like to live and work in such an inhospitable, but ruggedly gorgeous country.
These “huts” are though to have been the residence of the early folks here in Ireland. There have been some dating back to 12th century, although the technique of these buildings goes back to 3100BC.
Beehives can also be seen in an area called Ring forts dating back over 5000 years ago to the Iron Age. It is believed that the arrangement provided safety and shelter for the people as well as their livestock. These accommodations were precariously perched over crashing waves and vistas of blue and green so incredible a mere photograph wouldn’t do it justice.
They certainly found the perfect view to build their “towns” of huts.

Dingle Harbor is a place not to miss when driving the peninsula. Not only will you find a quaint seaside village, some great pubs and shops, you will also find Fungi the dolphin. Fungi is a male bottle nose dolphin who has found a home in the Dingle Harbor. He has been swimming around the harbor now for about twenty years and as a result has become a local celebrity. There is even a nice statue of him near the marina where you can get on a boat to see Fungi in the wild.