A Few Pictures...
Mount Brandon, the second highest peak in Ireland, at 3100 feet. Saint Brendan is said to have meditated at the top immediately before beginning his voyage, which he launched at the foot of the mountain. On the 16th of May, St. Brendan's Day, there is a mini-pilgrimage to the top, where there are the remains of an medieval chapel. One of my fondest memories is of being the very last person to visit the chapel on St. Brendan's day, 1999. Visitors are welcome to make the trip, but be advised: it is a strong pull!
Minard Castle, on the shores of Dingle Bay. That's Carantouhill in the distance, Ireland's highest mountain, but only a hundred or so feet higher than Brandon. There's a wonderful storm-beach at Minard, with huge smooth boulders that get tossed around like toys when there is a storm. From the vantage point of Minard I watched a pod of orca playing on one trip. They were headed up-bay, probably looking to trap some porpoises against the beach there.
Gallarus Oratory. This is certainly the "most visited" site on the Dingle Peninsula. For that reason I arrange to take my groups there when we are the only ones in attendance. The door of the oratory faces due west, and it is a wonderful sight to stand here and watch the sunset and to think of the lives that have passed through this tiny church in the thousand years and more of its existence. It is dry-stone (no mortar) construction, and its construction is one of the wonders of the world, not to mention its survival over the centuries it has stood here.
A true local, born and bred. This ewe was enjoying the sun on a south-facing slope covered with gorse. The red on her shoulder is a "paint-brand" that identifies ownership when farmers graze their animals on commons ground which is open to all farmers in the immediate area. Most sheep are wild critters and will flee if you try to get close, but I once had one come over and start to chew on my trousers. She was obviously an orphan as a lamb and had been raised by hand, probably by a farmer's child.
A group at the monument of the Dún an Óir massacre ("fort of gold") of 1580. A force of English and some Irish allies trapped a Papal invasion force of 600 on the tiny peninsular fortification. After accepting their surrender, they killed every member of the largely Spanish and Italian expedition. There are many aspects of this incident that are disputed, but Sir Walter Raleigh and Edmund Spenser were apparently in attendance and that alone has kept the interest of historians and tale-spinners through the centuries that followed. Some of the fortification details are still present, and the bold traveler can actually go out into the doomed "fort" itself.