Travel & Tourist Guide to The Dingle Peninsula (Corca Dhuibhne) - Ireland

Dingle Peninsula Visitor Attractions

Gallarus Oratory Visitor Centre

Gallarus, An Daingean Co.Chiarrai. - Tel: 066 9155333 - Fax: 066 9155333

Welcome to Gallarus Oratory visitor centre located on the Dingle Peninsula. The centre has been established for some years now and has seen many visitors from all over the world pass through it year in year out. The centre offers visitors the opportunity to explore Gallarus Oratory and also see a Audio Visual display of the surrounding area. There is a shop offering souvenirs and some refreshments located in the main centre.

Díseart

Díseart, next to St. Mary's Church in Green St. Its beautiful garden's, open to the public, its chapel with world famous Harry Clarke windows, its Nano Nagle Room with Nano's life in striking murals; the only buon fresco in Ireland, The Last Supper, in the former sisters' refectory painted by the American artist Eleanor Yates who has painted some smaller works in St. Mary's Blessed Sacrament Chapel and in the presbytery. Some copies of the Great Books of Ireland are on display also in Díseart, as well as books published by An Sagart which has its offices in Díseart. The up-to-date classrooms of the American and local students who study in Díseart are also of interest.

A small entrance fee of €2 to Díseart is for maintenance.

The Celtic & Prehistoric Museum

Director Harris Moore, Dingle Peninsula, Co. Kerry, Ireland, +353 (0)66 9159191

Enter through our fossil room. Walk on floors of 300 million year old sea worms. There's a large nest of 70 million year old Dinosaur eggs, an ancient Egyptian mummy case and much more. From there you pass through the major phases of human life over the last 500,000 years. Actually handle authentic tools used by our European cousins Homo Erectus, Neandertal and Cromagnon man in our cave room the walls are covered with reproductions of the oldest cave paintings in the world, accidentally discovered in France in 1994. Its all here at The Celtic & Prehistoric Museum, Ventry, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland.

Dunbeg Fort Visitor Centre

Slea Head Drive, Fahan, Ventry, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 9159755

Dunbeg Fort Archaeological Site & Audiovisual Centre. Built in the Iron Age, Dunbeg Fort is an impressive and elabourate example of a promontory fort. Its location makes it one of the most dramatic archaeological sites on the Dingle Peninsula. It is built on a sheer cliff which projects South into Dingle Bay, at the base of Mount Eagle on the Slea Head Road. The Visitor Centre above the Stone House Restaurant features a 10 minute audio-visual presentation on the history of Dun Beg Fort. The Audiovisual is available in a few different languages; including English, Irish, French, German, Spanish and Italian

Directions: Dunbeg Fort is located in the village of Fahan, 7 kms after Ventry Village, on the Slea Head Drive (R559). 14 kms west from Dingle.

Admission Prices: Adults 3.00euro; Students 2.00euro, Children over 5yrs 1.50euro, Children under 5yrs: Free. Admission Prices includes tickets to both the Dunbeg Fort and the Audiovisual Presentation

Opening Hours - Dunbeg Fort Visitor Centre: Open Daily, March - November 9.00 a.m. 6.00 p.m 7.00 pm during the summer months

Group Bookings Telephone: 066 9159755

Famine Cottage

Slea Head, Dingle, Co.Kerry. Tel: 066 9156241

It is hard to believe that, until recently, this cottage had been home to a number of visitors to the area. Some came here seeking a return to a simpler lifestyle, others such as photographers and writers seeking inspiration from this house and its surroundings. Now it lies empty, keeper of the untold secrets of its past, and a testament to the skill of the men who built it. On a beautiful summers day, when the sun shines, one can feel the heartbreak the Kavanagh family must have felt when leaving this idyllic spot, heading for the Emigration Ships.

Dingle Ocean World Aquarium

The Seafront, Dingle, Co Kerry - Tel: 066 9152111 - Fax: 066 9152155

Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium offers a unique underwater experience. Our Amazing Amazon Display features deadly Piranha! Catfish, Pacu as well as many tropical fresh water species. Our main attraction is our state of the art Shark Tank where you get the chance to come face to face with the most feared creatures of the sea .SHARKS. Our New Native Deep water tank is home to larger species from our Irish waters. At our Touch Tank you will get a chance to hold a starfish and stroke the friendly rays. Walk through our 9m Underwater Tunnel Tank where you can gaze in awe as a multitude of fish swim overhead. Seahorses, Molly the Turtle, "Nemo" the clownfish and much much more.

Authentic Cultured Pearl display - get a chance to buy your very own certified pearl.

Tickets are multi entry and can be used for the entire day. Weekly & Yearly tickes also available. Browse through our outstanding Gift Shop & relax in our Coffee Shop overlooking Dingle Harbour.

The Blasket Island Centre

Dún Chaoin, Trá Lí, Co. Chiarraí - Tel: 066 9156444 / 9156371 - Fax: 066 9156446

Ionad an Bhlascaoid Mhoir, The Blasket Centre (Kerry) - The Great Blasket Island off the Dingle Peninsula is renowned for its historic, cultural and literary heritage. In the twenties and thirties of this century Blasket Island writers produced books which are deemed classics in the world of literature. The Blasket Centre in Dún Chaoin is dedicated to the native Irish language & culture and the unique literary achievements of an isolated island community off the Kerry coast.

Opening Times: Easter-June Daily 10:00-18:00 July-August Daily 10:00-19:00 September-October Daily 10:00-18:00

Guided Tours: Available on request. Max. No: 30-40 Duration: 45 mins.

Last Admission 45 mins. before closing (Open for bookings during the winter).

Leaflet/Guide Booklet: English, Irish, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Facilities: Exhibitions, toilets, disabled toilet, research room, car/coach park, bookshop and conference facilities.

Restaurant/Tearooms: Coffee Shop and light lunches. Seating Capacity: 96

Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne / Corca Dhuibhne Regional Museum

Ballyferriter Village, Dingle, Co. Kerry. - Tel: 066 9156100

If you visit the Dingle Peninsula, you can't travel anywhere through the countryside without noticing all the archaeological remains still very much part of the charm of the area. Would you like to know more about them, how old are the 'beehive' houses, how old is Gallarus, when did people first come to live in this area?

These and many more questions can be answered by making a stop at the Museum in Ballyferriter (Baile an Fheirtéaraigh in the Gaelic/Irish language, which is the spoken language of this area), 8 miles (13km) west of Dingle on the Slea Head route. Here you will also find a good selection of books about the area, as well as many in the Irish language. You can find out more about learning Gaelic by enquiring about the courses run for adult learners by our parent organisation, Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne, or you can just sit and have a relaxing cup of coffee!

We are open 7 days a week, 10.00 am - 5.00 pm June to September, and for a week at Easter. For the rest of the year we open by request.

Beidh fáilte romhat! (A welcome will be waiting for you!)
Telephone: +353 (0)66 9156333 or +353 (0)66 9156100 Fax: +353 (0)66 9156348 E-mail: info@westkerrymuseum.com Web: www.westkerrymuseum.com

For further information about Irish/Gaelic language classes for adults, have a look at www.cfcd.ie/oidhreacht/ or Telephone: +353 (0)66 9156100 and ask for Máire Uí Shithigh or Caitríona Ní Cathail

Dingle Peninsula Ireland Holiday & Accommodation Guide