5 Reasons Why You Have to Visit the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland

I’ve lived in Ireland for almost a year now and still I’m blown away by the beauty of this country each and every day. But nothing has taken my breath away more than Dingle. Dingle is a small peninsula in the southwestern side of the country and it should be included in every single person’s trip to Ireland. This is why:

1. The scenery is out of this world.

I’m not sure it’s really necessary for me to explain in words why this is a top reason to visit Dingle because the pictures speak for themselves. But, I’ll try anyway. Dingle is surrounded by water, mountains and picturesque green, grassy farmlands as far as the eyes can see.

I highly recommend taking the time to drive the Slea Head route as this is not only beautiful but also has a lot of viewpoints and attractions to stop along the way. Make sure to take in the view of the Blasket Islands off the coast too. Don’t miss out on Conor’s Pass either, which runs through the mountains towards the northern point of the peninsula.  

2. They have their own whiskey, gin and vodka distillery.

In 2012, the Dingle Whiskey Distillery opened up their doors making them the first whiskey distillery in the town of Dingle. But whiskey making is a 3-year process (minimum!) so the distillers decided to try their hand at vodka and gin too, which takes only a week to produce.

Now, any visit to Dingle wouldn’t be complete without a tour and tasting at the distillery which I highly suggest be booked in advance by visiting their website, here! During the tour you not only get a tasting of their whiskey but also of their gin which was just recently voted as the World’s Best Gin of 2019!

3. They have their own resident dolphin.

I’m not sure if you’ll need to hear any other reason to visit Dingle after this one. Dingle’s most famous resident is…. a dolphin! Named by the local fisherman, Fungie lives in the Dingle Harbour and loves to escort the fishing boats around the waters. Unfortunately, during my visit I didn’t have the time to go visit Fungie but it’s top on my list for when I return. Dingle Dolphin Tours is the main company offering tours out to see Fungie and they offer a guaranteed sighting or you’ll get a full refund.

4. It’s rich in traditional Irish culture and prehistoric landmarks.

Dingle is one of the few areas left in Ireland where the Irish language (Gaelige) is still widely used. The area is also filled with historical landmarks such as the monastic bee hive huts, Dunbeg Fort, the Famine Cottages and more! We also stopped at a ring fort which was cool to see, but the highlight was the wandering goats, sheep and baby lambs we were able to hang out with!

5. It’s home to the best and most famous ice cream shop in Ireland.

No trip to Ireland is complete without an ice cream cone from Murphy’s! While they have a few locations around the island, the original is located in Dingle. All of their ice cream is handmade and their flavours rotate based on the season. My all-time favorite flavour is their Irish Coffee, but they also offer some other unique flavours such as Dingle Sea Salt, Irish Cream Liqueur, Caramel Honeycomb and Brown Bread.