Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle Peninsula) (Corca Dhuibhne)

The Dingle Peninsula Gaeltacht, a Munster-Irish heartland rich in early Christian sites and Ogham stones.

Corca Dhuibhne, the Dingle Peninsula in west County Kerry, is one of the strongest Gaeltacht areas and a heartland of the Munster dialect of Irish. The peninsula reaches into the Atlantic beneath Mount Brandon, and its western tip is among the most Irish-speaking places in the country.

The area is extraordinarily rich in archaeology, with the highest concentration of Ogham stones in Ireland, along with early Christian oratories and beehive huts. The nearby Blasket Islands (Na Blascaodaí) produced a famous body of Irish-language literature before their evacuation in 1953.

At a glance

• The Dingle Peninsula Gaeltacht, a heartland of Munster Irish.
• Home to the highest concentration of Ogham stones in Ireland.
• Rich in early Christian sites, oratories and beehive huts.
• The nearby Blasket Islands produced celebrated Irish-language memoirs.

In County Kerry

Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle Peninsula) is in County Kerry, Ciarraí in Irish, which means “the people of Ciar (a son of Fergus)”.

More in Kerry

• Carrauntoohil (Corrán Tuathail): The highest mountain in Ireland, standing at 1,038.6 meters.
• Skellig Michael (Sceilg Mhichíl): A jagged island monastery off the Kerry coast, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a modern film location.
• The Lakes of Killarney (Loch Léin): Three beautiful lakes ringed by mountains and ancient woodland at the heart of Killarney National Park.

Other places of this kind

• Connemara Gaeltacht (Conamara): The largest and best-known Irish-speaking region, a wild landscape of bog, mountain and Atlantic coastline.
• Gweedore Gaeltacht (Gaoth Dobhair): The largest Gaeltacht parish in Ireland, in northwest Donegal, and a stronghold of Ulster Irish and traditional music.
• An Rinn (Ring) (An Rinn): A small but proud Gaeltacht on the southeast coast, and the main surviving Irish-speaking community in the region.
• Múscraí (Muskerry) (Gaeltacht Mhúscraí): The Cork Gaeltacht in the hills of Muskerry, a Munster-Irish community with a rich song tradition.
• Ráth Chairn (Ráth Chairn): Ireland's youngest Gaeltacht, created in 1935 when Irish-speaking families were resettled from Connemara.

The Irish name

The Irish form of Corca Dhuibhne (Dingle Peninsula) is Corca Dhuibhne. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.