The Dingle Peninsula is the westernmost part of Ireland, a gaeltacht (Irish-speaking) region that juts out into the Atlantic and contains some of the most ancient and traditional aspects of Irish culture. From the rugged heights of the Slieve Mish Mountains to the haunting beauty of the Blasket Islands, from ancient ruins like the Dunbeg Promontory Fort to the 9th-century Christian church, the Gallarus Oratory, the Dingle Peninsula is filled with the beauty of the Irish landscape, the splendors of Irish civilization, and the mysteries of Irish history.

Smerwick Harbor, our first stop of the day, looks northward towards the Atlantic.  This quiet, secluded harbor was the site of one of the tragic chapters of Irish history, when in 1580 English forces massacred an entire Spanish and Papal force that had retreated to the harbor in support of Irish rebel forces.  Today, the harbor bears little trace of such violent history, and offers a last refuge before the endless Atlantic begins. View images of Smerwick Harbor

Dunbeg Promontory Fort is an astonishing ruin perched on the cliffs of Slea Head, overlooking Dingle Bay.  This circular fort, composed of four walls of rock and earth, dates back to the Iron Age, and likely was used as an outpost and defense from attack and invasion by sea.  Remains of a house and beehive structure are still to be viewed.  The fort today commands a clear vision across Dingle Bay all the way out to Skellig Michael .  As Slea Head continues around the tip of the Peninsula, the Blasket Islands come into view. View images of Dunbeg Fort and surrounding scenes.

Gallarus Oratory constitutes one of the greatest examples of Irish stone-building.  Composed entirely of stacked stone, with no mortar, it is in a corbelled configuration (a tapering, boat- or basket-like form) and has stood unchanging for perhaps as much as 1300 years.  The method of stacking flat stones so that the walls move inward as they rise enables the Oratory to shed water, and remain watertight for over a millenia.  Inside, the oratory is dim, with light entering through the low doorway and a window in the rear.  Only in recent years, as Cromwellian tourists have taken to removing stones, has the structure begun to sag, and its collapes may well be imminent after so many centuries of silent witness to the Irish landscape.  View images of Gallarus Oratory.

Kilmalkedar, our final stop of this first day-tour, is famous for its ancient church, dating to the mid-12th century, a fine example of Irish Romanesque architecture.  The church contains an "alphabet stone" that suggests a Christian settlement on the site as early as the 7th century.  Maolceadair was likely the leading figure in early Irish Christianity in Dingle, as St. Brendan was throughout Kerry.  The graveyard surrounding the church is remarkable for its mix of Christian and pagan markers.  The entire setting, at the base of the hills running down to the coast, is remarkable and haunting.  View images of Kilmalkedar.