Our host Stephen gave us lots of tips about the Slea Head Loop drive at breakfast. Most folks would be visitors like us, traveling slowly and cautiously in the same direction (clockwise) on the two-way roads. But there would be some oncoming traffic, and the road on occasion would narrow to a single lane, so be patient and all will work out. He said this with such a calm and reassuring voice that I couldn't help but smile and nod along with him. Ron had been living the experience of oncoming trucks, tour buses, and HUGE farm equipment. He just smiled and handed me the keys. I smiled back and handed him the maps.
We very much wanted to see a Stone Age ring fort, described in our guidebook as a defensive stone and earth stockade filled with little thatched dwellings, called beehives. 3000 to 4000 years old, Ring Forts had survived virtually untouched over the centuries because of superstitious beliefs that they were fairy forts.
Ron and I did not realize there were several Ring Forts on the Dingle Peninsula, and that most are on private property. We stopped at the first "Ring Fort" sign and ended up at a Ring Fort/Petting Farm! Parking was free, but we had to pay to get through the gate, and we each received a container of "free food" for the animals. Brilliant! We paid to feed their goats, horses, sheep, and donkeys. In all fairness, it was worth it. The archeological site has not been excavated, so it remains protected, but we could still explore the area and appreciate the selection of this site for a defensive position.
Back on the road ("Stay left. My left! The other left!!"), it wasn't far until we reached the bee hive huts. One of them was STILL intact after thousands of years - I took a short video (below) to show the stone roof overhead.
We enjoyed a picnic lunch at a pull-out overlooking a beach, in sight of the Blasket Islands. And yes, those tiny specks in the surf are surfers and paddle boarders.
The Blasket Islands are a string of six islands off the tip of the peninsula. The largest one, Great Blasket, was once inhabited. Life on the island was hard. There was no priest, pub, or doctor; no church or cemetery. Each family had a cow, a few sheep, and a plot of potatoes, but the 160 inhabitants depended primarily on the sea to survive, and thus they survived the Great Famine. Because they were so isolated they formed the most traditional Irish community of the 20th century and became the symbol of ancient Gaelic culture. Storytelling was an integral part of their culture, and Great Blasket produced several writers of international repute. Eventually, the population dwindled, and the government moved the last of the elderly residents to the mainland in 1953. The remnants of their community are still visible on the hillside on this sunny afternoon.
It was late in the afternoon when we made our final stop at the ruins of the church Kilmalkedar. A monastery was first founded on this site by St. Maolcethair, who died in 536. This church was built in the 12th century and was a Norman center of worship.
What I found most fascinating was the "ogham stone", on the left side of the photo below, which had already stood on this spot for 900 years when the church was built. The engravings on the stone are in a script used from the third to the seventh century. Very cool! And the hole drilled through the top is believed to have been used to "seal the deal" by touching thumbs through the hole.
There was also a sundial, and graves so old that the inscriptions were long lost. The ground was quite soft, which especially eerie in a cemetery!
Dingle, we bid you farewell, and thank you for a wonderful day!
Car Talk. Sort of.
The right-side-drive-car-left-lane-driving felt normal fairly quickly. The narrow roads were harrowing!
We have decided that from now on Ron will drive and I will navigate. This is a good thing. For those who are curious about our wanderings, below are two maps. The first is a map of Ireland color coded by county. Counties in Ireland are much like our States. We flew into County Cork. Cork, Kinsale and Cohb (the subjects of the first few blogs) are located on the east edge of County Cork, next to County Waterford. County Kerry is the county to the west of County Cork with the two peninsulas called Kerry and Dingle.
Here is a map of the Dingle peninsula, with the Slea Head Loop Drive shown in red.
Lots of sailing in and out of Dingle. I’ve not seen much of it over land, just from the water and what we could explore if we took the dinghy ashore. Looks lovely.