Ireland
Page Six of Nine
June 13-28, 2008
Killarney area where we stopped to find out about sheep herding
Inch Beach on the Dingle Peninsula, which is the westernmost tip of Ireland. The Dingle area is part of a
region where the government subsidizes the survival of the Irish language and culture. The beach
extends 4 miles, shaped like a half moon. It was made famous by the movie Ryan's Daughter.
The town of Dingle, population 1500, lined with gaily painted shops. Traditionally, the buildings were
painted drab gray or whitewashed. Thirty years ago, Ireland's tidy town competition prompted everyone
to paint their buildings in colorful pastels.
The Gaelic name of the town is An Daingean. A precondition
of Government subsidy support to preserve traditional Irish culture is that towns use their Gaelic name. Many
in the town still call it Dingle because it became wealthy from the tourist trade being called Dingle, and many
businesses have Dingle in their name.
A view of a Dingle residential area. Dingle was a busy seaport in the late Middle Ages. In 1970, the movie
Ryan's Daughter introduced the world to Dingle.
A grandmother with her grandson on a Dingle street. You
see people with these baby strollers everywhere. When it
rains, they have plastic covers that protect the child.
A lone sheep with a red mark on its back with the Blasket Islands in the background. Sheep are often
painted with different colors and markings to identify their ownership.
Pat
with the Blasket Islands in the background
Dingle coastline view
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