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Comprehensive and mostly up-to-date tourism information about Dingle and the surrounding area can be found at  www.dingle-peninsula.ie , with the reservation below and at www.dodingle.com

A good history of the Dingle peninsula is at www.dingle-peninsula.ie/history.html

Note The lists e.g. of pubs, restaurants etc are very far from complete, as like all the other tourism agencies, entries are paid for by the businesses concerned.

Why the road signs are sprayed with graffiti

Why the road signs are sprayed with graffiti

Dingle could be regarded as the entrance to the Gaeltacht area of West Kerry or Corca Dhuibhne (pronounced 'Corkaghweenya'). This was one of the strongholds of the Irish language during the period of English rule and the concomitant suppression of native Irish culture. As a result of this, since the foundation of the Republic considerable amounts of additional state support have been pumped in to the local economy with the intention of promoting employment in the Irish-speaking areas and so keeping the Irish language alive. All schooling in the Gaeltacht is through Irish rather than English, so anybody who has grown up in this area should be able to speak the language. However, the first language for most inhabitants remains English.

One consequence of the offical status of West Kerry as a Gaeltacht area is that all signposts are entirely in Irish (unlike the bilingual system used in other parts of Ireland), whilst most maps are marked with the English names, though not necessarily the ones which are in general usage or in the contemporary spellings! Irish is a beautiful and subtle language with a rich cultural heritage stretching back over 4000 years, and it is also a phonetic language, but neither pronunciation or translation is easy for those unfamiliar with the unusual spelling and grammar of the Celtic languages. Meanwhile, some of the English names are based on mis-renderings of the Irish by English-speaking surveyors in the 19th century and are neither elegant nor consistent. Naturally this all leads to plenty of confusion for tourists as well as argument amongst politicians. The potential for confusion was greatly increased by a 2005 government decision that henceforth Dingle should only be referred to as An Daingean, which is one of its two Irish names. In practice this injunction is widely ignored except by official bodies, and a plebiscite held in Dingle in 2006 resulted in 90% of the electorate calling for a bilingual policy. Nevertheless at the time of writing, the Department for the Gaeltacht is still resisting calls to reverse its edict. Hence the graffiti!

Here's a few translations to help you with the road signs, anyway!

English                                    Irish

Dingle                                 Daingean uí Chuis / An Daingean

Ventry                                 Ceann Tra / Fionn Tra

Milltown                                 Baile an Mhuilinn

Burnham                                   Baile an Goilín

Dunquin                                    Dún Chaoin

Slawdeen / Slaudeen             Slaidín

Ballymore                                 Baile Mór

Ballyferriter                               Baile an Fheirtearaigh

Ballydavid                                 Baile na nGall

Smerwick                                 Ard na Caithne

Beenbawn / Beenbane         Bínn Ban

Lispole                                     Lios Poil

The Blaskets                           Na Blascaodai

The Island                                An Oilean

Slea Head                                Ceann Sleibhe

You'll also see: Fir / Mna (Gents / Ladies) on the doors of public toilets; Tapaidh go mall (Go slowly) painted on road surfaces; Ar oscailt / dúnta (Open/closed) on shop doors; and of course Failte! meaning Welcome!