11 August 2019
If you are still at school in Ireland, there is a good chance that you may get sent off to Gaeltacht for 3 weeks in your summer holiday. Sounds a bit like some form of punishment for being an obnoxious teen, which, let’s face it, many teens can be, but all it really is, is a summer school to teach you to speak Gaeilge (Irish). A Gaeltacht is simply a recognised reason where only Gaeilge is spoken. There are several Gaeltacht areas, in Ireland,, mostly along the western coast, with a total population of over 100 000. That means that more than 100 000 people speak mainly Gaeilge in their day-to-day lives. One such Gaeltacht exists on the western part of the Dingle peninsula, our destination for the day.
The drive along the coast from Doolin to Dingle is of course very beautiful. Stone-walled green pastures with the occasional small village, almost always with a brightly painted pub, and often an odd name. We planned to stop at Hags Head, but somehow missed that entirely, so took a detour down to the Loop Head lighthouse. We figured we would just stop whenever we saw a signpost for something that might look interesting. Bridges of Ross looked like something worth seeing, so we followed the signs. At one stage, there were three natural see arches, surrounded by some spectacular rock formations. Unfortunately, two of them collapsed, but the remaining bridge still provides for some beautiful scenery.
John Francis O’Reilly, aka the ‘flighty boy’ has quite a history of trouble with the authorities. He somehow landed up in Germany, returned to Ireland as a spy for the Germans, and at some point had a 500 pound reward for any information resulting in his arrest. In short, in the end, his father managed to claim the reward. Part of his ‘travels’ included parachuting from an aeroplane near Loop Head lighthouse, with a radio transmitter that he would use to inform the Germans about things happening in Ireland. The views of the Irish coastline must have been spectacular from that plane. They most definitely are from the shore near the lighthouse.
The balance of the drive to Dingle was equally beautiful. And we arrived in Dingle in time for a good dinner at a local pub, some Irish music, and a stroll through the colourful streets of the old part of the town.
Ag am ar bith. At any time, be prepared to skip something, and randomly take a different route. You never know what you may find.
