Although every part of the trip was memorable, our stop in Dingle was probably the highlight of the tour. Above all, the scenery is spectacular. On top of that, there was lots to do, the people we met were uniformly fantastic, there was a music festival going on while we were there so there was great music in all of the pubs, the food was terrific, and we attended two outstanding traditional music concerts.
We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast co-owned by a Rick Steves tour guide (featuring their 200 lb Irish wolfhound, Seamus), and one of the concerts we attended was held at a music store owned by the parents of another Rick Steves tour guide, so we felt very welcome everywhere we went.
We stopped at the shop of a local man who used to work for Waterford crystal and now makes his own glassware, and then took a tour of the peninsula led by a wonderful local guide, Tim Collins, but it was a very rainy, windy day. (We were reminded several times by locals that we didn't come to Ireland for a sun tan.) Our second day in Dingle was a free day so we signed up for the same tour privately with Mr. Collins and, this time, we lucked out, as it was a gorgeous day. We also took a harbor cruise to see local celebrity, Fungi the dolphin.
We stayed in a Bed and Breakfast co-owned by a Rick Steves tour guide (featuring their 200 lb Irish wolfhound, Seamus), and one of the concerts we attended was held at a music store owned by the parents of another Rick Steves tour guide, so we felt very welcome everywhere we went.
We stopped at the shop of a local man who used to work for Waterford crystal and now makes his own glassware, and then took a tour of the peninsula led by a wonderful local guide, Tim Collins, but it was a very rainy, windy day. (We were reminded several times by locals that we didn't come to Ireland for a sun tan.) Our second day in Dingle was a free day so we signed up for the same tour privately with Mr. Collins and, this time, we lucked out, as it was a gorgeous day. We also took a harbor cruise to see local celebrity, Fungi the dolphin.
Rosie is a talented, young Canadian musician who has been performing traditional music since she was a little girl. She spent several months in Dingle recording her album Atlantic. She and her producer, the guitar player accompanying her in the photo above, had just completed the album shortly before we arrived and they gave a concert in a small music shop in Dingle. Rosie blew us all away.
Robert Mitchum was my great friend...
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Tour members are constantly encouraged to meet local folks and doing so has been one of the great joys of our travels. While visiting one of Dingle's most venerable pubs, I decided to take that advice and heard a most entertaining story. Two things you have to know in order to appreciate the story. The first is that Robert Emmett was the leader of an aborted 1803 revolt against the British and remains a great Irish hero. The second is that in 1970 David Lean made a film, "Ryan's Daughter" on the Dingle peninsula, starring Robert Mitchum. It's not one of his better movies but it is notable for the beautiful scenery and you can find memorabilia of the film all over Dingle--signed photos of Mitchum, movie posters, and the like.
As we drove into Dingle, Declan pointed out a small pub, Curran's, and said it was his favorite in all of Ireland. One evening, after dinner, another couple and we realized we were walking by it and decided we had to stop in, given that recommendation. There, drinking a Guinness, was Declan. He pointed out an elderly gentleman and said, "That's Timmy, he's 93 and has a great story about meeting Robert Mitchum." I turned to see the grizzled fellow in the photo above sitting next to a young woman probably 60 years his junior. Timmy had one hand on his Guinness and his other either on the young lady's knee, shoulder, or hand for about 15 minutes.
When she got up for a bathroom break, I walked over and said to Timmy, "My friend Declan tells me that you knew Robert Mitchum." He said, (imagine a rich Irish brogue) "Ah yes, me and Robert Mitchum were great friends. We met when I was out moving me cows. A convertible car came up behind me and honked its horn because it couldn't get around me cows. I couldn't do nothing about it, so I just kept moving me cows. It honked again and I just kept moving me cows. Then a big man got out of the car and came up to me and said. 'Do you know who I am? I'm Robert Mitchum,' and I told him, I don't care if you're Robert fecking Emmett, I got to move me cows! And we became great friends."
Definitely talk to the local folks!
There is wonderful documentary about Irish Pubs available on Netflix called--quite creatively--"Irish Pubs" It's an entertaining and informative look into Pub culture, which is such an important part of Irish life. The very first pub featured is Curran's and they interview its owner quite extensively. He's the gentleman in the photo of Timmy, above, behind the bar wearing the plaid shirt.
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