I. Dingle Peninsula & Wild Atlantic Way

With the end of summer and unfavorable weather approaching, it’s important to get all the true sight-seeing done, hence why The Cliffs of Moher were my first trip, and Dingle Peninsula and Wild Atlantic Way were my second.

The road our bus took is technically called “Wild Atlantic Way” but this road is located on the Dingle Peninsula. The town of Dingle itself is excessively charming and an extremely active hub of tourism.

Dingle is located in yet another rural area of Ireland, so rural in fact, that one of the villages outside of Dingle speaks Irish as their first language. It is a tight-knit community, and the government does not allow any new residents to move there unless they can speak Irish fluently. Dingle originally was a commercial fishing town- which is a seriously dangerous profession. Luckily, their main source of income now is tourism, thanks to the legend of Fungie the Dolphin (who appeared off the coast one day in the late 1980’s, and remained a staple tourist attraction until his passing about three years ago), and the natural beauty of the mountainous and cliffside landscape.

Tourism has become such a pillar of the Dingle community that locals have gotten involved and made a reputation for themselves. One of the stops on our tour was at a local farmer’s property, where he was asking for €4 to hold a baby lamb! If you ask me, it’s absolutely the best €4 I’ve ever spent, and he’s definitely doing well for himself, considering the wad of cash he was sifting through when giving me change. It was a chaotic- we only had twenty minutes at this particular stop- but ultimately amazing experience. It’s something I never thought I’d do- I’m from the suburbs, and know nothing about farm life- which I think made the experience all the better!

There are also beautiful things to see farther away from the peninsula, but still within sights of Dingle. The area is also known for its mountainous regions:

II. The Rock of Cashel

Don’t let the name fool you- The “Rock” of Cashel is actually a monastery, with parts of these ruins dating back to the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It was officially founded in the 12th century, and is also known as St. Patrick’s Rock, due to the saint’s affiliation with the monastery (it is said that St. Patrick converted the King of Muster to Christianity at this site). In the 1600s, the monastery was attacked by English troops, and has been left in ruins ever since.

The ruins are extremely beautiful and carry a haunting quality. It’s almost an uncanny experience to be closed in by the remaining standing walls, just to look up and see sky rather than a vaulted ceiling. It is an iconic site for Irish history, and being there made me feel a bit more connected to the Irish culture that I’m learning more about every day.

III. Cobh

Cobh (pronounced “cove”) is a town on an island in Cork City’s harbor. It is best known for being the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912 (there are several memorials acknowledging the Titanic’s tragic maiden voyage). Its other main attraction is St. Colman’s Cathedral, which was completed in 1919.

The town is so colorful, which is so refreshing when comparing it to home. Everything is pretty uniform in the U.S- same style of home, same color scheme, etc- but houses here are fun and bright and have their own charm. Cobh itself isn’t a big tourist attraction, but I enjoyed my visit all the same. It made me feel a bit like a local, as if I was integrating into the culture. Life moves at a slower pace here, so it was really lovely to just stop and appreciate the things around me.