The Dingle Peninsula (;

anglicised Anglicisation or anglicization is a form of cultural assimilation whereby something non-English becomes assimilated into or influenced by the culture of England. It can be sociocultural, in which a non-English place adopts the English language ...

as Corkaguiny or Corcaguiny, the name of the corresponding

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

) is the northernmost of the major

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

s in

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

. It ends beyond the town of

Dingle Dingle ( or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula (known in Irish as ''Corca Dhuibhne''), it sits on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coa ...

at Dunmore Head, the westernmost point of mainland Ireland. It is separated from the

Iveragh Peninsula The Iveragh Peninsula () is located in County Kerry in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is the largest peninsula in southwestern Ireland. A mountain range, the MacGillycuddy's Reeks, lies in the centre of the peninsula. Carrauntoohil, its hig ...

to the south by the

Dingle Bay Dingle Bay (''Bá an Daingin'' in Irish language, Irish) is a bay located in County Kerry, western Ireland. The outer parts of the Dingle Peninsula and Dingle Bay mark one of the westernmost points of mainland Ireland. The harbour town of Ding ...

Name

The Dingle Peninsula is named after the town of

. The peninsula is also commonly called ''Corca Dhuibhne'' ( Corcu Duibne) even when those referring to it are speaking in English. ''Corca Dhuibhne'', which means "seed or tribe of Duibhne" (a Goddess from

Irish mythology Irish mythology is the body of myths indigenous to the island of Ireland. It was originally Oral tradition, passed down orally in the Prehistoric Ireland, prehistoric era. In the History of Ireland (795–1169), early medieval era, myths were ...

and an

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or in Irish, plural ) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

name), refers to the ''

túath ''Túath'' (plural ''túatha'') is the Old Irish term for the basic political and jurisdictional unit of Gaelic Ireland. ''Túath'' can refer to both a geographical territory as well the people who lived in that territory. The smallest ''túath ...

'' (people, nation) of ''Corco Dhuibhne'' who occupied the peninsula in the Middle Ages and who also held a number of territories in the south and east of County Kerry.

Geography

The peninsula exists because of the band of

sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...

rock that forms the Slieve Mish mountain range at the neck of the peninsula, in the east, and the Brandon Group of mountains, and the Mountains of the Central Dingle Peninsula further to the west. Ireland's highest mountain outside MacGillycuddy's Reeks, Mount Brandon at 951 m, forms part of a high ridge with views over the peninsula and North Kerry. Conor Pass, which runs from

on the south-western end of the peninsula towards Brandon Bay and Castlegregory in the north-east, is the highest mountain pass in Ireland, a narrow, twisting road; it weaves its way around the sharp cliff faces and past the high corrie lakes. The

Blasket Islands The Blasket Islands () are an uninhabited group of islands off the west coast of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland. The last island to hold a significant population, Great Blasket Island, was abandoned in 1954 due to population decl ...

lie off the west coast. They are known for the literary and linguistic heritage of the former inhabitants. However, these remote islands have been uninhabited since the 1950s following an evacuation.

Culture, literature, and language

The western end of the peninsula is a

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

( Irish-speaking area) that has produced and heavily influenced a number of storytellers, poets, and writers highly important to Modern literature in Irish; Piaras Feiritéar,

Máire Mhac an tSaoi Máire Mhac an tSaoi (4 April 1922 – 16 October 2021) was an Irish civil service diplomat, writer of Modernist poetry in the Corca Dhuibhne dialect of Munster Irish, a memoirist, and a highly important figure within modern literature in I ...

, Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha, Cáit Feiritéar, and Peig Sayers among others. This is the westernmost part of Ireland, and the village of '' Dún Chaoin'' is often jokingly referred to as "the next parish to America." Although he greatly admired the post-

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

Gaeltacht memoirs from Corca Dhuibhne and the surrounding islands, and particularly the memoirs of

Great Blasket Island The Great Blasket () is the principal island of the Blasket Islands, Blaskets, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It was home to a small fishing community of Irish speakers until the island was abandoned in 1953 when living there bec ...

seanchaithe Tomás Ó Criomhthain, novelist

Flann O'Brien Brian O'Nolan (; 5 October 19111 April 1966), his pen name being Flann O'Brien, was an Civil Service of the Republic of Ireland, Irish civil service official, novelist, playwright and satirist, who is now considered a major figure in twentieth- ...

also chose to

satirize Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposing ...

their cliches quite mercilessly in his

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

novel '' An Béal Bocht'' ("The Poor Mouth"), which is set in the fictional, desperately poor, and constantly raining Gaeltacht of (); a parody of (). Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, award-winning seán-nos singer and performer of Irish traditional music, was born in the

Aran Islands The Aran Islands ( ; , ) or The Arans ( ) are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with a total area around . They constitute the historic barony (Ireland), barony of Aran in ...

, but grew up in Dún Chaoin. Nic Amhlaoibh has both performed and recorded Irish language songs from Corca Dhuibhne, including at least one song composed upon the nearby

Archaeology

The peninsula is the location of numerous

prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...

and early

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

remains including: * Glanfahan, site of ancient dry-stone huts ( clocháns) * Caherdorgan North, with medieval stone buildings * Ballywiheen, containing an ancient stone fort and monastic settlement * Kilmalkedar, monastic settlement with Ogham stone * Ferriter's Cove, at the western tip of the peninsula; and * Gallarus Oratory in the very west of the peninsula near the village of '' Baile an Fheirtéaraigh'' in '' Ard na Caithne''. Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, situated in the village of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh (

Ballyferriter ( Irish, meaning 'Ferriter's Townland' ) unofficially anglicised as Ballyferriter, or also known as , is a Gaeltacht village in County Kerry, Ireland. It is in the west of the (Dingle) peninsula and according to the 2002 census, about 75% of ...

) has exhibitions detailing the archaeology and history of the peninsula. Some of the exhibitions include Ogham stones, artefacts from the excavations at the nearby monastic site of Riasc (Reask) and objects on loan from the

National Museum of Ireland The National Museum of Ireland () is Ireland's leading museum institution, with a strong emphasis on national and some international archaeology, Irish history, Irish art, culture, and natural history. It has three branches in Dublin, the arch ...

. In April 2021, Irish archaeologists from the National Monuments Service and Ireland's National Museum announced the discovery of an untouched

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

grave, skeletal remains, fragments of human bone and a large semicircular slab in the underground passageway. Archaeologist Mr Ó Coileáin reported: "We think this may have been a ritual site with an element of burial in it and this could be one of those. This looks like it is a chambered tomb from the

period which might have been a significant marker on the landscape".

Places of interest

The peninsula is known for the MV ''Ranga'', a Spanish cargo vessel that wrecked on the coast in 1982. Gallaunmore is a standing stone and National Monument. Rahinnane Castle is a 15th-century castle built on a medieval

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

. Slieveglass, an area of high ground near the village of Brandon, was the site of Ireland's first fatal airliner accident. On 28 July 1943, a BOAC Short S.25 Sunderland III, G-AGES, crashed at 2,000 feet while descending into Foynes in fog, killing 10 of the 25 onboard.

In film

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

's 1970 film '' Ryan's Daughter'' takes place at a village on the Dingle Peninsula in the immediate aftermath of the 1916

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

, and was partly shot on location near Dún Chaoin, Coumeenole Beach, Slea Head and Inch Strand. '' Far and Away'', a 1992 film directed by

Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American filmmaker and actor. Howard started his career as a child actor before transitioning to directing films. Over his six-decade career, Howard has received List of awards and nominations r ...

, was partly filmed on the peninsula. The film ''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep t ...

'' is partly set in the Dingle Peninsula, but none of the filming took place in the area. Several local areas were used for filming of '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'' including Dunmore Head and Slea Head where a replica of the clochán huts of Skellig Michael were built.

In music

Dingle is mentioned in Phil Colclough and June Colclough's "Song for Ireland."

Gallery

File:Dingle Peninsula.jpg, The Dingle Peninsula as viewed from

Banna Strand Banna Strand (Irish language, Gaeilge: Trá na Beannaí), also known as Banna Beach, is a beach in North Kerry, Ireland. It is an Atlantic Ocean beach extending from the Smallrock (Roc Beag) and Blackrock in the North to Carrahane at its south ...

. file:Dingle Peninsula Coast.jpg, Dingle Peninsula coastline. File:Minard Castle.jpg, Minard Castle, Lispole,

. File:EaskTower1a June2008.jpg, Eask Tower, with the tip of the Ring of Kerry in the background. File:Dunmore Head Beaches 2.jpg, Beaches near Dunmore Head. File:Garfinny Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 912699.jpg, Garfinny Bridge, medieval bridge and National Monument File:Sunset Comaun 1987.jpg, Sunset over the Dingle Peninsula, as seen from hills on the

, 1987

References

External links

* {{coord, 52, 11, 36, N, 10, 05, 02, W, region:IE_type:landmark_source:dewiki, display=title Peninsulas of County Kerry Important Bird Areas of the Republic of Ireland