9. Dingle - and Ready to Mingle

Janette Frawley
Sep 8
6 min read

Updated: Sep 10

01 August 2025

It is here in Dingle that I have have my greatest regret. I am not risk adverse, yet in the country where taking a risk is going to result in the least number of consequences, I ignore the voice in my head that tells me to book a tour on an open top bus because I am afraid that it won't get us back on time before the ship sails. Norwegian does not offer any shore excursions for our Dingle visit, but a company called GetYourGuide does. It not only offers the open top bus trip, but several to the outlying Blasket Islands. I should have emailed or called them and I should have known that the tour operators would have us back in time. But, add to that a rogue operator at the official Tourist Information Office, a disgruntled local bus driver, and a local bus that operates on Irish 'local time', and we are left confused. Let me explain.

Whilst Carolyn and Laraine decide to do Dingle under their own steam and in their own time, Marianne and I board the tender quite early and after a short ride, alight at the pier in the centre of Dingle. Once we establish that the double-decker bus tour is fully booked for both tours, we headed straight for the Tourist Information Centre, where a wonderful and very helpful operator tells us to walk along the road to the bus stop where we would pick up the local bus that travels to Slea Head. We are instructed to stay on the bus and it would take one hour for the round trip. We are assured that the scenery is worth the trip. We arrive at the bus stop to find several other cruise passengers in the queue, but I am not concerned at that moment, as we are near enough to the front of the line to secure seats. Then more people arrive, and more, and more. Apparently, the tourist information staff told everyone to do this, and since few people had other tours booked because none were offered on the ship, everyone wanted to ride the bus to Slea Head.

The bus is running about fifteen minutes late by this time.

Then a driver of a bus on the opposite side of the road, confrontational and rude, addresses the queueing people and announces that local buses are for local people (I think he got his inspiration from COVID-era Annastacia Pala-chook) and that the cruise passengers need to leave the line. We ignore this for a while, as one by one the passengers fell away and disappeared. Marianne and I are still on the bus line, but when it does not arrive after forty minutes, we too disappear into the village. I wonder whether the bus ever arrived!

If I turn slowly in a circle, I would have the village in front of me, the pretty fishing harbour behind and on either side are emerald green fields that are divided into small plots, bordered by drystone walls and small hedges. On my right, on top of the highest point of this peninsula, overlooking water and land is Eask Tower, a solid stone mound, which was built in 1847 to provide employment during the famine and used to guide ships and boats into the harbour.

Now, with two failed attempts to see things beyond the village of Dingle, we now are left to explore. Looks can be deceiving and as we walk into the village proper, I realise that Dingle has much to offer the tourists with its many restaurants offering local food, and stores offering local arts, crafts, and samples of Irish-made goods and souvenirs. Although the fishing port is on flat ground, the path sharply rises behind The Strand, and I am soon puffing as the hill is steeper than it looks.

St Mary's Church is located on the highest point. Like most Irish catholic churches, a grotto featuring Mary is located by the front wall. A fuchsia in full bloom contrasts with and softens the grey stone wall. There is plenty of activity here today as a florist van is parked in the busy street causing traffic to bank up whilst the lone young man runs in and out with small decorative milk churns filled with white flowers and greenery. Tall ones stand on either side of the door of the church, whilst smaller ones are placed on the steps. Neo-Gothic in design, the original church that was built in 1862 had been dramatically renovated 100 years later in 1962. During a time where the old churches in Ireland were demolished and replaced with 'modern' (some would say ugly) ones to accommodate the changing needs of the parishioners and to include new innovations like electricity, it appears that St Mary's avoided such drastic action. Originally, the church had a nave and side aisles separated by arcades. The arcades were demolished in the 1960s, making the internal space much bigger to accommodate the larger congregations. As I enter the church, the stained glass windows dominate the altar area and although I am a little perplexed by the internal design of the church, it is not until later that I realise that the renovations made midway last century provide an unexpected perspective, but one I did not realise until doing later research. It is a hive of activity today not only with tourists, but seemingly with locals. Passing the church a couple of hours later, a group of people dressed appropriately for a summer wedding are congregated next to the church. We now know why the beautiful floral arrangements were delivered this morning.

Marianne and I cross the road after leaving the church to explore the tiny colourful shops on the other side of the road. One such local artisan store catches my eye and on entry, am enthralled at the range of crystal glasses on display. With quality that surely is equivalent to, even surpassing that of Waterford Crystal, I am taken with the local names given to the designs. According to the Dingle Crystal description, each design is inspired by Ireland's rich heritage and the breathtaking landscapes of the Dingle Peninsula. It's founder, Sean Daly was a master cutter for Waterford Crystal until they moved their production to Europe. He then moved his family to Dingle and the rest is history in the making. I wonder how many more Waterford Crystal craftspeople are dotted around the country doing their own thing. So, I am a little bit naughty and I purchase six glasses, each bearing a different design that will forever remind me of this day in Dingle. Two of the six bear contemporary designs, whilst the other four hark back to the traditional crystal designs that make Irish crystal stand out from all other crystal. It is a true family business and whilst Sean's daughter manages the store, the rest of the family work in the factory. I now wish I had time to go out to the factory and to hear about this fascinating family story.

I have a tax refund form to fill in and I do that over a quick coffee and scone before finding the post office to send the forms back for my refund. The business end of the day complete, we wander down through the streets, eventually finding a farmer's market set up in a tiny space. The farmer with his little van filled with fresh just-picked produce greets us and chats for a minute or two. There are people selling seafood, crafts, pastries, and more, but my favourite is the man with the van.

As we walk down the street, I notice a Walk of Fame with notable people's names fittingly carved into pavers. I remember seeing a YouTube video of Dolly Parton's visit to Paidi O Sé's pub in 1990, which I have added below. It brings to the forefront the importance of live music, which is today played in pubs all over Ireland. We don't realise it until later, after the cruise has finished, that Norwegian has excluded a very important aspect of cruising around a place as unique and as special as Ireland; they fail to include Irish culture and music into their itinerary.

We are sailing at 4 o'clock this afternoon, and after visiting many of the Irish shops and strolling along the strand, we return to the ship. We have not seen Carolyn or Laraine at all today, so I hope they have enjoyed their visit to Dingle.