HOME » WALKS & PHOTOGRAPHY ARCHIVE » IRELAND » DINGLE PG.1

IRELAND - DINGLE - 07-14/06/08

This update and a further two pages of photos to come are all from a week visiting the South West of Ireland in County Kerry. This page concentrates on the northern coast of the Dingle Peninsula, an area known for its stunning scenery of mountains, beaches and colourful villages along with its wealth of history and culture.

All three photos above feature Fermoyle Strand or Tra Fhormaoileach in Irish as the Dingle Peninsula is a Gaeltacht, (Irish speaking) area. The beach in Brandon Bay is the longest in Ireland stretching across 12 miles of unbroken sand from the Maharees to Cloghan Village in the west. In the background you can see the Brandon Mountain range masked by low cloud where Ireland's second highest mountain Mount Brandon rises from the sea to a height of 953m.
Castlegregory Village was our base for the week, it was a ideal place to stay with short walks to the sandy beach and Lough Gill, (right photo) with plenty of pubs offering great food and drink, (it would be wrong to go to Ireland and not sample the Guinness!) and entertainment with traditional Irish music being played most nights during the summer.
More views of the Castlegregory area, (Caisleán Ghriaire) the village is named after the 16th century castle of Gregory Hoare and is known as the gateway to the Maharees - a sand spit that separates Tralee Bay, (centre photo) from Brandon Bay. The area is a very popular base for water sports with its mix of exposed beaches and sheltered bays and is also popular for walking, fishing and golf.