Corca Dhuibhne | |
|---|---|
 Location of the Dingle Peninsula | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Ireland |
| Adjacent to | |
| Area | 583 km2 (225 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 952 m (3123 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Brandon |
| Administration | |
| County | Kerry |
| County council | 3 seats |
TheDingle Peninsula (Irish:Corca Dhuibhne;anglicised asCorkaguiny orCorcaguiny, the name of the correspondingbarony) is the northernmost of the majorpeninsulas inCounty Kerry. It ends beyond the town ofDingle atDunmore Head, thewesternmost point of Ireland.[1] It is separated from theIveragh Peninsula to the south by theDingle Bay.
The Dingle Peninsula is named after the town ofDingle. The peninsula is also commonly calledCorca Dhuibhne (Corcu Duibne) even when those referring to it are speaking in English.Corca Dhuibhne,[2] which means "seed or tribe of Duibhne"[3] (a Goddess fromIrish mythology and anIrish clan name), refers to thetúath (people, nation) ofCorco 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.
The peninsula exists because of the band ofsandstone rock that forms theSlieve Mish mountain range at the neck of the peninsula, in the east, and theBrandon Group of mountains, and theMountains of the Central Dingle Peninsula further to the west. Ireland's highest mountain outsideMacGillycuddy'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 fromDingle on the south-western end of the peninsula towardsBrandon Bay andCastlegregory in the north-east, is the highest mountain pass in Ireland,[citation needed] a narrow, twisting road; it weaves its way around the sharp cliff faces and past the highcorrie lakes.
TheBlasket Islands 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.
The western end of the peninsula is aGaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) that has produced and heavily influenced a number of storytellers, poets, and writers highly important toModern literature in Irish;Piaras Feiritéar,Máire Mhac an tSaoi,Pádraig Ó Siochfhradha,Cáit Feiritéar, andPeig Sayers among others. This is the westernmost part of Ireland, and the village ofDún Chaoin is often jokingly referred to as "the next parish to America."
Although he greatly admired the post-Irish War of Independence Gaeltacht memoirs from Corca Dhuibhne and the surrounding islands, and particularly the memoirs ofGreat Blasket Island seanchaitheTomás Ó Criomhthain, novelistFlann O'Brien also chose tosatirize theircliches quite mercilessly in hismodernist novelAn Béal Bocht ("The Poor Mouth"), which is set in the fictional, desperately poor, and constantly raining Gaeltacht of (Corca Dhorcha); a parody of (Irish:Corca Dhuibhne).
Muireann Nic Amhlaoibh, award-winningseán-nos singer and performer ofIrish traditional music, was born in theAran Islands, but grew up inDún Chaoin. Nic Amhlaoibh has both performed and recorded Irish language songs from Corca Dhuibhne, including at least one song composed upon the nearbyGreat Blasket Island.
The peninsula is the location of numerousprehistoric and earlymedieval remains including:
Músaem Chorca Dhuibhne, situated in the village of Baile an Fheirtéaraigh (Ballyferriter) 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 theNational Museum of Ireland.[4]
In April 2021, Irish archaeologists from the National Monuments Service and Ireland's National Museum announced the discovery of an untouchedBronze Age grave, skeletal remains, fragments of human bone and a largesemicircular 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 theprehistoric period which might have been a significant marker on the landscape".[5][6][7][8]
The peninsula is known for theMVRanga, aSpanish cargo vessel that wrecked on the coast in 1982.[9]
Gallaunmore is a standing stone and National Monument.
Rahinnane Castle is a 15th-century castle built on a medievalringfort.
Slieveglass, an area of high ground near the village ofBrandon, was the site of Ireland's first fatal airliner accident. On 28 July 1943, aBOACShort S.25 Sunderland III, G-AGES, crashed at 2,000 feet while descending intoFoynes in fog, killing 10 of the 25 onboard.[10]
David Lean's 1970 filmRyan's Daughter takes place at a village on the Dingle Peninsula in the immediate aftermath of the 1916Easter Rising, and was partly shot on location nearDún Chaoin, Coumeenole Beach,Slea Head andInch Strand.[11]Far and Away, a 1992 film directed byRon Howard, was partly filmed on the peninsula.[12]
The filmLeap Year is partly set in the Dingle Peninsula, but none of the filming took place in the area.[13]
Several local areas were used for filming ofStar Wars: The Last Jedi including Dunmore Head and Slea Head where a replica of the clochán huts ofSkellig Michael were built.[14]
Dingle is mentioned inPhil Colclough and June Colclough's "Song for Ireland."
Dingle Peninsula travel guide from Wikivoyage52°11′36″N10°05′02″W / 52.19333°N 10.08389°W /52.19333; -10.08389
