For the tourism part of the conference on Saturday November 11th several substantial excursions had been arranged: a coach trip to explore the Dingle Peninsula, and two other excursions on foot – one a ramble in the National Park taking in Muckross Lake and Torc Waterfall, and the other a walk on Rossbeigh Beach.
Most of the participants had chosen the Dingle Peninsula, so several coaches were needed for the superb 160 km trip which took the visitors, cheerful despite the cold and the intermittent rain, to various beauty spots in this magnificent region. From the heights above Killarney there was a good view over the lakes and the splendid cemetery, then a stop at Inch Beach with Atlantic breakers and a nearby shop which the souvenir-hungry visitors invaded.
A little later on we stopped in the town of Dingle for a longer visit and for lunch in the John Benny Moriarty pub in two sittings.
People were curious about the posters urging the locals to vote – but what about? 90% of the local population voted to keep the name ‘Dingle’ together with the Gaelic version, rather than using the Gaelic name alone, which would be incomprehensible to tourists. After lunch there were several photo stops where we could feast our eyes on cliffs and little beaches reached along winding narrow roads
Then came the visit to the Blasket Centre built right on the ocean’s edge in a modern style which nevertheless blended perfectly with the landscape.
People were curious about the posters urging the locals to vote – but what about? 90% of the local population voted to keep the name ‘Dingle’ together with the Gaelic version, rather than using the Gaelic name alone, which would be incomprehensible to tourists. After lunch there were several photo stops where we could feast our eyes on cliffs and little beaches reached along winding narrow roads
Then came the visit to the Blasket Centre built right on the ocean’s edge in a modern style which nevertheless blended perfectly with the landscape.
The Blasket Centre is a modern building which chronicles the hard and austere lives of the inhabitants of Blasket Island; the population of the island reached its peak before the first world war, and the island was finally abandoned in 1953. It is the most westerly island of continental Europe, and many of its inhabitants, like many hundreds of thousands of other Irishmen, emigrated to the United States in search of a better life. There is a splendid view from the Blasket Centre over this ‘end of the earth’
In the coach on the way back one could see the effects of the fresh air and the sea breezes – there is nothing quite like it for sending you off to sleep. Especially since everyone needed a rest ready for the gala evening due to begin shortly.
In the coach on the way back one could see the effects of the fresh air and the sea breezes – there is nothing quite like it for sending you off to sleep. Especially since everyone needed a rest ready for the gala evening due to begin shortly.
