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Images of Dingle |
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(click images to enlarge) |
Dingle and Iveragh (Ring of Kerry) peninsulas in Kerry County are at the western extremity of Ireland and Europe. They are among the most visited places in Ireland.
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The Irish island has a geography inverse of that of most islands, with a perimeter occupied by high hills or uplands and inner country made of a vast plain. On the north coast of Dingle Peninsula, Brandon Mount is the 2th highest peak in Ireland with 951 m. The peninsula is a region of desolate mountains with small fields delimited by dry-stone walls, where Gaelic Irish is still in use. |
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Fields in Dingle peninsula |
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All around Dingle coasts have very high cliffs |
Inch beach is a 5 km long sandy beach, surrounded by dunes, perpendicular to the coast. It almost closes Dingle Bay |
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Cliffs near Dingle town |
View of the coast from Inch beach |
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Dingle town is an important fishing port located in a natural sheltered roadstead |
Dingle also is a pleasant touristic resort with its colored houses, pubs and craft shops |
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Dingle harbour |
Wharfs of Dingle port |
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Dingle harbour has long been the departure point for pilgrims to the grave of St James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain . |
The town provides the visitor with a truly cosmopolitan atmosphere
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Fishing boats in Dingle port |
Street on the port, pubs and shops |
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As everywhere in Ireland, land of Saints since Saint-Patrick, beautiful churches are part of landscape |
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The Catholic church of Dingle |
Street on a slope |
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The three leaves clover (the shamrock) is one of national emblems of Ireland. Saint-Patrick is said to have used the shamrock as a metaphore to explain the Christian concept of Holy Trinity |
The most famous living inhabitant of Dingle is a dolphin named Fungi who resides in the port since 1983, and chosed to stay there even when his female companion left Dingle |
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House decorated with shamrocks in Dingle |
Fungi the dolphin, resident of Dingle since 1983 |
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In the inner part of the peninsula, near Tralee, the chief town of Kerry County, mountains slope gets more gentle and superficy of fields gets larger |
All over centuries, Ireland has been deforested. In some places, programs for reforesting have been launched. |
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Mounts and farms near Tralee |
Mounts and small valleys |
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Gallarus Oratory, which held out against rough seaside weather since the 9th century, is an exemple of the evolution in Irish oratories from a circular to a rectangular basis. It is a transitional form between circular early-age oratories and cathedrals. Of the twenty oratories remaining in Ireland, it is the best example. Its dimensions : 8m long, 5m wide et 5m high are also very impressive. |
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Gallarus Oratory - 1300 years old |
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| Copyright © WEB-SY - August 2004 | Editing and photographs : Marc GERONDEAU |
Email : mgerondeau@web-sy.fr |
