A Day in Dingle, Ireland
Sigh…
Dingle may very well be my favorite little town in Ireland, if not Europe (!). During our whirlwind tour of County Kerry we spent 24 glorious hours in Dingle that did nothing more than leave us wishing for 24 more.
It’s a simple town set near the tip of the self-named Dingle Peninsula on the Dingle Bay. The pastures are a vibrant bright green, the people are extra friendly and the Guinness is extra good. (By the way – the rumors are true, Guinness tastes lightyears better in Ireland.)
In preparation for our visit I reached out to a friend who recently toured the area and recommended the Pax House. I can’t overstate my delight with this little B&B and wonderful owner, John. Wow. Remarkable views of the Dingle Bay (I swear I spotted Fungie!), beautiful rooms and an extraordinary breakfast. It’s one of the few hotels that actually had the ability to slow me down upon arrival – instead of wanting to drop my bags and scoot off to the sights, all I wanted to do was lounge around in the lovely sunroom and watch the sunset.**
On top of the views, John’s cat Molly and pup Rio couldn’t be sweeter. Dan threw the ball with Rio in the backyard while I prepped for dinner (don’t tell Stuart).
As the sun quietly started to sink across the bay I finally got our act together. Dan and I hopped in the car and raced up nearby Conor Pass to try and catch the last of the sunset.
Conor Pass is in a league all it’s own, right?
Afterwards we coasted back down to downtown Dingle for dinner. A quintessential Irish town, seated along Dingle Bay the narrow streets are filled with cozy bars and restaurants, locals mingle in the streets and despite its interest in tourism it’s the fishing community that appears to plays the lead role. Unlike anywhere else I visited in Ireland, I felt as though I was an honest tourist in Dingle experiencing the authentic Irish countryside and culture as I had hoped to.
Sitting a few hundred yards from the bay, Dan and I both opted for huge, marvelous platters of mussels… and, of course, more Guinness. 
One of our main reasons we had initially set out to visit Dingle was to hear the famous ‘Trad’ music unique to the Peninsula. Sounding to me like a mixture of bluegrass and polka, it’s tap your foot and wiggle kind of music. Locals know set dances to the familiar tunes and add to the entertainment as they twirl around.
As we left the restaurant music burst from the doors of nearly all the bars around us. We ducked into the one that was closest and spent the rest of night bopping to the beats. 
Next time you’re in Ireland please, for the love of puppies, pay Dingle a visit! I’ll join you!!
**I know what you’re thinking but the truth is that Pax House doesn’t even know that I’m writing this post or that I have this little blog. I honestly just want you to stay at this place – I swear you’ll love it! 😀