We were torn between going to the Ring of Kerry or to the Dingle Peninsula, and everything we read said they were both beautiful but that Dingle had less traffic and less people. That was the deciding factor for us, and we were not disappointed with Dingle. It was such a nice day and there were plenty of other people, but it really wasn't too crowded. It was absolutely gorgeous and had so many different landscapes. There were green fields, beaches, cliffs, valleys, and waterfalls! We went to a couple beaches, saw some ancient ring forts and beehive huts, went to an Irish bank, did a short hike, and enjoyed every second of it! Inch Beach
This was a long flat beach, but it was still beautiful.
There weren't a lot of shells, but there were some. However, we saw quite a few jellyfish.
They actually teach surfing lessons at this beach. I was shocked because the waves seemed pretty tiny, and the water was freezing!!
Those houses probably have some amazing views!
I'm not sure what I expected about beaches in Ireland, but it seemed like a pretty 'normal' beach which surprised me.
Dunbeg Fort These ring forts are on the cliff side and were used defensive structures, homes, and possibly an amphitheater. Some of the structures fell off the cliff during a storm in 2014, but the way they laid the stone was still pretty impressive.
They were blocked off after the storm.
They think this one had a thatched roof which is why it is no longer attached.
On the left of the picture you can see where the storm took off part of the structure.
The view from the fort.
The water was such a deep blue color especially against the gray stone.
A waterfall on the other side of the fort going into the ocean.
The far piece of land in the picture is the Ring of Kerry.
Beehive Huts
Not far from the forts were primitive ancient Irish dwellings where families would live. They were constructed without any mortar and have maintained their shape very well.
Coumeenoole beach
We turned a corner and all of a sudden this beach came into view, and it was gorgeous! We knew we had to stop! The water was freezing, but people were still in the water! It was slightly difficult to get to this beach, but completely worth changing in the car and taking a little climb.
It looked like a lot of people were there, but it really didn't seem too crowded once we made it down to the beach. We also got an amazing parking spot that was easy to pull in and out of which was a small miracle.
All the blues of the water. That's also the hill we hiked.
I don't even want to know how those people got out!
He was too scared of the cold water to get wet, but he got close to it!
These waves don't seem big in the pictures, but there were pretty big waves. We saw a couple kids completely wiped out!
Big splashes against the rocky shore.
I loved all the different colors of the water.
Most people were wearing wet suits, but some were crazy enough to get in without one.
The rocky shore line.
The stone at the top of the hill we hiked.
View from the top of the hill.
Relaxing on the beach. As long as the sun was out it was fairly comfortable in swimsuits, but the clouds made it slightly chilly at times.
Some of the different islands off the coast.
Braving the cold water for a pretty picture.
The beach from the other side.
Some islands from the top of the hill.
2
Random waterfall off the road.
2 little lakes in a valley on the drive.
Another lake in the valley.
The north side of Dingle.
Green fields throughout the peninsula.
We were trying to test out the panorama features on our phones.
The two lane roads on Dingle. It was a tight squeeze when any car came the other way, especially big trucks.
Kenney had some yummy pancakes at this B&B. The pancakes I ordered 2 days previous look and tasted like crapes so I'm not quite sure what Irish pancakes are supposed to be like, however both were good!
This is a short video of the grounds around the the B&B we stayed in. I love how pretty all of these gardens and yards around Ireland are. Everyone seemed to take care of their homes.
The first stop during day 2 was The Rock of Cashel. It is one of the oldest castles in Ireland where the High King was crowned. It is the sight where the King was Munster was converted to Christianity by Saint Patrick. It was a castle for many years, but then it was given to the church by some other families. It was a great place to visit, and we learned a lot about Irish history. The tour guide was amazing and knew so much! He told us about the next place we went.
Rock of Cashel from the road.
There were sheep and cattle all over the fields and hillsides. We could really smell the cattle at one point and the tour guide said that was the smell of money.
This was an abbey seen from the castle.
The abbey through the castle wall.
The Irish are known for their round towers. They originated in Ireland and this is the oldest one from around 1100.
The plaque we found inside with the letters E & K on it. We thought that was pretty cool!
Here we are sitting next to the plaque.
Inside the cathedral.
They are currently trying to restore the fresco that were painted on the ceiling in the chapel.
On the ground in this section the of the cathedral over 1000 people were killed when the English stormed the city.
Full view of the castle. A big portion of the ground are used a burial ground. Only two more living people have rights to be buried on site.
One man buried here wanted a huge Irish High Cross to mark his grave called Scully's Cross. It stood for almost 100 years before it was struck by lightning in 1976 and was broken. All the broken pieces just lay on the ground.
The cross pieces were once on top is this.
One of the cool arched doors into the chapel.
St. Patrick's Cross
One of the exterior doors.
Here is a little of the tour guide talking about the history of Ireland and Saint Patrick but more specifically he was talking about the people who had power over the castle before it was given over to the church.
Kilcooley Abbey
We found this place because we asked our tour guide if there was somewhere unique or different that a lot of people don't know about. He mentioned this place, and we went. It was perfect! We barely had to go out of our way, and we had the entire place to ourselves. No one else was there!
One of the beautiful windows
Kenney is a high window.
Cool ceiling inside.
A tomb with cool engravings.
Stairs leading up to the window, but the second story was locked unfortunately.
A beehive type hut on the grounds of the Abbey. We were joking that there were his and hers houses.
That's me in the window looking out.
Some more beautiful windows.
The 'Her' house.
Mitchelstown Caves
Kenney really enjoys caves and we found some in Ireland. These are the biggest caves there. There are 3 rooms in the cave going from smaller to larger. There's a big lake that the professionals crawl to twice a year. It wasn't the coolest cave, but it was worth it just to do all kinds of different things.
This is called the swan or the dragon.
Kenney in the caves.
Entry to the caves. Such a stark contrast in color to the inside.
The hydrangeas were beautiful.
Our second B&B was a cute little thatched roof cottage.
Inside was kinda a country cottage with hunting and fishing stuff everywhere.
Inside the pub in Kenmare.
Outside the pub.
The shops around Kenmare.
Good luck trying to figure out where you need to go with these signs!!
We heard some live traditional Irish music while we were eating at the pub. Sorry for the poor video; I didn't want to be that tourist.
