Ireland-Day 5

If we hadn't been excited to see the west coast of Ireland we would have been reluctant to leave Killarney.  It is easily, a town I would like to return to for an extended stay.  But.....we had the Dingle Peninsula to explore today so we loaded the car and off we went.  Our final destination of the day would be the town of Ballybunion.

This is why Ireland is called the Emerald Isle.  Aren't those greens amazing?

 

View of the ocean along Slea Head Drive .

 

 

 

 Hannah and I are walking to the site of the Dunbeg Fort.  Don't I look cold?   For some reason I was cold most of the trip.  We actually had fantastic weather, very little rain, but I was chilled most of the time.

Dunbeg Fort is an example of a Promontory Fort.  It is not really clear what this fort was used for, but it is located on a sheer cliff  and was probably begun in the Bronze Age, 800 BC, and was used right through the 10th century.

 

 

 

 

Nearby are the Fahan Beehive Huts. They were probably single family dwellings built in the form of a circle, with each layer lying a little closer to the center so that the small opening at the top of the structure could be closed with one stone. No mortar was used. It is believed these huts date back to the 12th century.

 

 

 

 

The area is suffering from erosion and repair work is being done to keep it from sliding into the ocean.

 

Roadside shrines are common throughout the country.  This was one of the larger ones and depicted the crucifixion.  Some are much smaller and depict saints or the virgin Mary.  Many are decorated with flowers.

 

 

There was a sign above this beautiful area stating that the filming of "Ryan's Daughter" took place here.

 

 

A sign in the  town of Dingle that I thought sounded very Irish or even English.

 

More of the beautiful fuschia we saw everywhere.  They bordered the walkway to Gallarus Oratory, our next stop.

 

 

 Gallalrus Oratory is a small, stone chapel and is one of the most famous landmarks on the peninsula.
Built in the 7th to 9th century is a well-preserved relic of Irish Christianity.

Inside view of the Oratory.

 

Kilmalkadar Church dates to the first half of the 12th century.  There was some nice stone carving on the inside of the building.

 

An example of some of the carving.

 

 

 

We didn't find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but we had a great day exploring the Dingle Peninsula.

 

 

Another golf course, but I'm not sure which one this was. 

 

We arrived in Ballybunion after dark and found our B&B before going for dinner.  After eating we enjoyed relaxing in the sitting room, downloading our pictures of the day and enjoying a glass of wine.