Ross Castle is one of the landmarks of the National Park. There are a lot fewer tourists on the nearly 6 km of trails around the island that start from the castle and offer great views of Lough Leane, marshes, and a nearly century-old copper mine.
Probably the most “American” town we’ve seen, with plenty of pizza places and a few jazz clubs. But they also consider themselves the keeper of traditional music, with a local saying Dingle is to Irish music what New Orleans is to jazz.
Dingle Peninsula isn’t the featured part of the Ring of Kerry, but it’s also slightly better preserved. It also is longer, and the outer point (with the Basket Islands beyond) is the westernmost point in Europe. Across the Dingle Bay is Skellig Michael, an uninhabited island that played host to Luke Skywalker in the recent Star Wars trilogy. Because Skelling is so rough, the actual scenes between Luke and Rey were filmed on Dingle. This is also part of the country most loyal to the native language. In the summer Dublin kids are bused in for camp to work on their language skills.
The Slea Head Road is a loop around the outer portion of the peninsula, with all the best views.
Conor’s Pass, on Dingle Peninsula, was apparently named one of the most dangerous roads in Europe. Which we didn’t know when we went to find it, but we believe now. It didn’t help that the rain came through just when we got there. But the views were amazing, and a 60 foot rock climb to the top of the waterfall reveals Pedler’s Lake, a glacier-carved crystal clear lake.
Lou Whiteman 