Dingle
Day 5 - June 29, 2017
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Today we're headed to Dingle with a stop at the Kissane Sheep Farm. But first we stopped at Kenmare to get a peek at the colorful town with busy shops and restaurants. We also took a short hike out to the "Stone Circle". Take a look at some of pictures to the left.
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We arrived at the Kissane Sheep Farm. This 2,500 acre Irish farm is on a slope above the Black Valley. John Kissane's family has raised sheep here for five generations. The highlight of the visit was watching the family border collies herd the sheep at the direction of John. He gave commands to the dogs with verbal calls and hand signals. After the sheep herding display, we had a sheep shearing demonstration. It was amazing how fast a sheep can be sheared. The value of wool currently is low, but the wool is sold to pharmaceutical firms for its lanolin. Here are some pictures on right.
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We then stopped at Muckross House for lunch and continued on to Dingle. Along the way, we had some great views of the Irish countryside. On the left are some pictures.
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Dingle is located on the Dingle Peninsula which is the westernmost tip of Ireland. It is a town of 1,500 residents. The buildings were traditionally gray, but Ireland's "Tidy Town" competition prompted most owners to paint their buildings in pretty pastels. It is a laid back town. The courthouse, built in 1832, is open one hour each month. But the judge tries to finish his business within a half hour!
In the evening, we arrived at Dingle. We did Buddy introductions before our group buffet dinner. After dinner, our guide Cathie arranged some lovely Irish traditional music just for our group. The musicians are pictured to the right. They are Mulreann Nic Amhlaoibh who played the tin whistle and flute and also did vocals, and Jeremy Spencer who played the fiddle. It was a very relaxing evening.
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Day 6 - June 30, 2017
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We started the day with breakfast at our Bed & Breakfast. I had the Irish Breakfast. After that, the day was filled with sightseeing. Our first event of the day was a stop at Dingle Crystal for a crystal cutting demonstration from Sean Daly, a master craftsman. Sean takes great pride in his deeper, sharper design cuts. These deeper cuts reflect the light more intensely than the more rounded cuts by other crystal cutters. Sean has a shop on Green Street in Dingle where he sells his crystal. Some pictures of this stop are on the left.
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Slea Head Drive
After the crystal demonstation, we boarded our bus with our local expert, Tim Collins, and followed the famous Slea Head Drive. Slea Head Drive is probably Irelands most scenic and beautiful road. During the drive we had beautiful scenery and some great stops. We stopped at the Great Blasket Island Centre, the Gallarus Oratory, and the Kilmalkedar Church ruins.
Slea Head Drive scenery pictures are shown to the right. They include beautiful vistas, beehive huts, and flowers.
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Slea Head Drive Great Blasket Island Centre pictures are shown to the right. We stopped at the state of the art Great Blasket Island Centre which gives visitors a great look at the language, literature, and way of life of the Blasket Islanders. The Blasket Islands consists of a rugged group of six islands. The Great Blasket Island was once home to as many as 160 people. Life was hard but they never suffered from the potato famine because each family had a cow, a few sheep, and the sea provided food for all. The government moved the last remaining handful of residents to the mainland in 1953.
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DID YOU KNOW that Massachusetts is the only state in the United States that Sullivan is in the top 3 for last names? This is because of the mass migration to the Springfield, Massachusetts area during the potato famine.
Slea Head Drive Gallarus Oratory was our second stop on our drive. Take a look a some pictures to the right. The Gallarus Oratory is one of Ireland's best preserved early Christian churches used for monastic services. Its well fitted drystone walls are still waterproof today. It was built about 1,300 years ago.
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Slea Head Drive Kilmalkedar Church ruins was our next stop on the drive. The Kilmalkedar Church was the Norman center of worship for this end of Ireland. This 12th century Irish Romanesque church is surrounded by graveyards. An ogham stone is a unique feature in front of the church. It marked a medieval grave and had a hole in it. Centuries ago, people would touch their thumbs through the hole and swear to God in front of the church to seal a deal.
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After returning from the Slea Head Drive, we had a group dinner at Fenton's Restaurant. Then, a few of the group headed for an Irish music concert at St. James Church. Take a look at the pictures of this to the left.
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Day 7 - July 1, 2017
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Today was our free day to enjoy Dingle and the Dingle Peninsula. We took it easy exploring the town. We did a little shopping for Keltic jewelry. We visited St. Mary's Church with the famous Harry Clark stained glass windows. We took a coffee break and hung out with the locals. Finally, we took in a special Irish music performance at the Siopa Ceoil music shop. Take a look at some pictures to the left.
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Tomorrow we are off to our next destination, Galway.