“The views here are full of stories. Look to the west out to sea to narrate the future ‘rain on the way but not for a few hours’.”


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Clockwise from top left: Coastal road on the Dingle peninsula; The semi- circular lintel of the church doorway at Kilmalkedar dates from the 12th century; Ring forts on high ground on the Dingle peninsula - people were living here for many centuries.


It is not surprising that through the generations the spirit


of the landscape has attracted saints and scholars. Churches abound but not the big fancy cathedral type. Small stone oratories, humble chapels, monastic cells and quiet graveyards characterise the approach. We spent hours each day wandering about and literally reading the landscape. Weathered headstones, helpful display boards and plaques provide information and helpful interpretation. The recurring theme is of settlement and resettlement – Celts, Christians and Gaels – the past infuses the present just as the sea comes up to the land. The name of Mount Brandon is associated with the


We stayed on the Dingle peninsula for the next few days,


cycling out and around, exploring hills and inlets, and ever mindful of intermingling sea, land and sky. The views here are full of stories. Look to the west out to sea to narrate the future ‘rain on the way but not for a few hours’. Look up to see mist on the mountain and strange tales of magic and mystery unfold. Look over the hedge to the stone enclosures on high ground, remnants from the Iron Age and a reminder of the continuity of settlement in these parts. Stones are everywhere. They are used for houses and walls, they mark space and territory, they are symbols of life and death and they sit atop each summit. From the high ground running along the spine of the peninsula there are stunning views of the seascape. Everywhere has a local name such as ‘the sleeping man’ and the ‘three sisters’ all these in native Irish which is the spoken language here.


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famous Saint Brendan who lived around here in the 6th century. Saint Brendan was known for his seafaring and navigation skills and is said to have discovered America long before Columbus. The story of the Brendan voyage has been part of Irish folklore for many centuries. The precise location of his point of departure is known as Brandon Creek and is still used by locals as a small harbour. Is it really possible that an Irish monk and his crew could have crossed the Atlantic in a leather boat to arrive in Newfoundland in the 6th century? There are written documents from the 12th century that describe the voyage but did they just write the stories of the time? In 1976 Tim Severin and his crew attempted to replicate the journey using a similar boat construction to what Brendan would have used. He set out from Brandon Creek and succeeded in demonstrating that such a feat was possible. We will never know for sure if Saint Brendan actually made the journey but we can now say it’s not such a fanciful notion as we might first have thought. So Charles the sheepdog is perhaps entitled to sit proudly on his perch looking over fields and the sea beyond. He is after all from the Kingdom of Kerry.


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