Monday, August 29 we drove around the Dingle Peninsula on Slea Head Dr. Spectacular scenery and ancient sites are plentiful. The roads are narrow, sometimes down to one lane for two way traffic and at times very nerve wracking, but we survived it. We even were stopped by the Garda (police) as we approached them as we were driving. After we greeted each other they waved us on. Apparently they weren’t looking for us. Phew! Our first stop was at Fairy Fort and a petting area. Fairy Forts are also known as Rath or Lois and are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000 A.D. Those who believed in fairies did not alter them and the legend was that those who entered between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. would not leave alive. There were sheep, goats, donkeys and horses there for us to feed. We were warned to stay away from the pigs because they’re too mean.

Our next stop was was the Beehive Huts. Ringforts are the most numerous and widespread field monuments in Ireland. These forts are built from stone and would have been inhabited from ancient times to 1200 A.D.

The Blasket Islands sit off the coast at the tip of the peninsula and are the westernmost point in Europe. We went to the Blasket Centre where we learned about the small group of rugged people who inhabited Great Blasket Island. Their way of life has been well documented with books, many of which were written by island residents. The island was abandoned in 1954 when living there became unsustainable.

Here are a few other photos taken during the drive.

We ended the day with a nice dinner. Tomorrow we move on to Galway for 4 nights.