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To commemorate the Smithsonian Presents Travels with Rick Steves magazine — now on sale online, and at newsstands nationwide — Rick is blogging about the 20 top destinations featured in that issue. One of those destinations is Dingle, Ireland.
Kathleen was old and frail, but picked up her step as she led me to the small-town cinema. She declared, “Tom Cruise is a wee little guy.” Everyone was all abuzz about where he and Nicole Kidman had slept.
I was in the town of Dingle, on the west coast of Ireland. And tonight, in Dingle’s homey theater, it seemed the entire town had gathered to watch the premiere of Far and Away — a movie that was partly filmed right here in Dingle. As the movie played, each time a bit player from the village appeared on screen, a rowdy uproar erupted. Knowing where to look in the movie, you could see telephone poles decorated like trees.
The movie depicted tough times — the 1890s, when impoverished people from villages like Dingle flocked to the New World in pursuit of a better life. These days, of course, Dingle is riding high on Ireland’s economic resurgence. But all it takes is a pensive stroll through the fields to remember the earlier pain and struggle of this land. Picking up a clod of earth, my friend Tim, Dingle’s retired police chief, explained how even the dirt had to be made by struggling peasants — sand and seaweed carried here by human beasts of burden from the distant shore.
Dingle’s a humble town. Each day, it feels like the main business is rolling out the empty kegs and rolling in the full ones. They claim to have more pubs per capita than any town in Ireland. And each evening, I walk around the block like a guy choosing a dance partner, considering where I’ll enjoy a pint.
Dingle’s town mascot has long been a dolphin named Fungie. This playful dolphin is thoroughly milked to stoke tourism. But to me, it seems that Fungie just brings people to town for the wrong reason. You don’t come to Dingle to see a freak dolphin; you come to experience a Gaeltacht town.
A Gaeltacht (a place where Gaelic — the traditional Irish language — is spoken) is a kind of national park for the traditional culture. As a Gaeltacht, Dingle gets special subsidies from the government. A precondition of this financial support is that towns use their Irish (Gaelic) name. But Dingle (or An Daingean in Irish) has voted down this dictate from Dublin. I think changing it back to An Daingean would be true in principle to the Gaelic movement, but just plain bad marketing. (It’s fun to say Dingle, but An Daingean — pronounced “on DANG-un” — is hard to say and to spell.) As a compromise, signposts spell it both ways.
The tip of the Dingle Peninsula is marked by a chalky statue of a crucifix. It faces the sea, but it seems like about half the time, it’s actually facing a cloud with zero visibility being whipped by sheets of rain. I imagine cows here have thicker eyelids, evolved over centuries of sideways rain. The Gallarus Oratory, a 1,300-year-old church made only of stone, is famously watertight — unless the rain is hosing in sideways. I’ve been splattered inside. I’ve crept over the Conor Pass with zero visibility, ragamuffin sheep nonchalantly appearing like ghosts in the milky cloud. I’ve huddled in farmhouses abandoned in the great famine of 1848, awaiting a chance to step out. Yes, the weather is a force on the west coast of Ireland. But when the sun comes out, everything rejoices.
Thank you so much, Rick, for introducing us to the amazing, quintessentially Irish town of Dingle. We went there on our honeymoon (as part of a self-guided driving tour of Ireland with your trusty guidebook to lead us), and it was HEAVEN. We got caught in that famous sideways rain and our host, Maurice, just shook his head when we walked back into the B&B soaked to the skin (on one side of our bodies) and smiled. “Tourists” he laughed–but not derisively–we had to laugh at ourselves too! (And still do when we recount that story.) Dingle is where our Irish dreams came true, and we long to go back very, very soon! Thanks.
Rick (and everyone else), please correct me if I’m wrong, but is this the series where the editors significantly edited your writing? It shows. While I’d never call your writing “edgy” I’d certainly call it “witty” and “amusing.” I can tell that some major magazine mogul has taken the soul out of your writing. I’m waiting anxiously for your REAL writing to reappear on your blog.
Rick, those of us who love the work you do and the way you have encouraged travel have purchased the issue of the Smithsonian magazine which features you and your travel experiences. We don’t come to this blog to read it again. Something new, please?
@ louisa – There are a lot of other travel blogs out there besides Rick’s! This is obviously being done to promote the magazine. If you don’t want to read it, come back in a few weeks. I’m sure all the destinations in the magazine will have been covered b
Not a huge fan of Dingle. I think some readers tend to romanticize this little outpost a bit too much.
You are absolutely correct, Ricardo. But I like to read what Rick writes and it is annoying to me when he coasts, using old material to fill up the blog. But maybe that’s just me being old and cranky.
We just got back from Dingle a month ago and it was a great part of our adventure to Ireland. The town was well priced, one of the cheapest areas that we stayed in with superb greetings and service. We ate two nights in a row at a restaurant on the bay called Out of the blue seafood only restaurant, some of the best seafood I have ever had. And we followed your Dingle Penninsula tour and that was a really fun day just to wander. Made a couple of really relaxing days on our two week vacation. Only sad thing for Ireland is they are not financially doing well and it was a great deal for us, but you could tell the B&B’s and restaurants were suffering under the economy and volcano, hopefully the dropping Euro will help them out.
Poverty, alcohol, government subsidized old fading language. Skip Dingle according to this post.
Pubs and beer, a pet dolphin, ragamuffin sheep, fun at the movies, laughter. Let’s go.
Not everyone will purchase ‘the magazine’ – so please post whatever you like on your blog. I never get tired of reading about Europe and/or Rick’s adventures. Thank you for sharing!
We just got back from a week in Dingle and loved every minute. Dingle can be just like any other tourist town if you let it but it can also a wonderful place to visit if you invest a little effort. We ate at many of the pubs and found that better food is available by getting off Strand St and walking off to Main or John St. The J.A. Ashe pub has really good food and nice people. Don’t miss Murphy’s Ice Cream either! Make sure to drive to Brandon Point for high cliff views and Cuas, while a little hard to find is worth the trip. park by the St Brendan’s memorial and walk down the road. Cross over the fence and explore the creek then walk over to the cliffs again. You’ll be rewarded with breath taking views. There is more to see and do in Dingle than is possible in a week. Go, you won’t be sorry.