Dingle is the only town on the Dingle Peninsula, but there are many quaint and pretty villages to visit on your guided tour. Dingle nestles on the Atlantic coast about 30 miles southwest of Tralee and 40 miles northwest of Killarney. Its most famous resident is an adult Bottlenose Dolphin named Fungie who has been courting human contact in Dingle Bay since 1983. 

A whole industry, including boat trips, has built up around Fungie.

Dingle was developed as a port following the invasion of Ireland by the Normans. By the thirteenth century more goods were actually being exported through Dingle than Limerick  In 1257 an ordinance of King Henry III imposed customs on exports.  Importing wine was a major business in the area by the fourteenth century.  The 1st Earl of Desmond, Maurice FitzGerald, imposed a tax on this activity circa 1329.  By the sixteenth century, Dingle was one of Ireland's main trading ports, exporting fish and animal hides and importing wines from the continent of Europe

Dingle had particularly strong connections with Spain and in 1529 Thomas Fitzgerald, 11th Earl of Desmond and the ambassador of Spain signed the Treaty of Dingle.  Dingle was also a major departure port for pilgrims to travel to the Shrine of Saint James at Santiago de Compostela.  Dingle parish church was rebuilt in the sixteenth century under "Spanish Patronage" and dedicated to Saint James. 

The commerce and prosperity of Dingle were increased when it was listed as one of fifteen towns or cities which were to have a monopoly on the import of wine in 1569.

Dingle is still prosperous with a thriving tourist industry and has many fine restaurants and pubs offering great food and some first-class Irish Traditional Music.

YouTube Video          By WildAtlantic Dingel Peninsula          Duration  3:56