Dingle Peninsula - Ireland 2014 - page 377

The old red-sandstone and slate-roof cottages along the roadside housed Ventry estate
workers in the 1840s.
3 km: A brown sign reading Holden's Leather Workshop leads up a road to the left.
This is the narrow lane that eventually leads to the trailhead up to Eask Tower (see here for
details on this active hiking/biking option).
4.6 km: Stay off the “soft margin” as you enjoy views of Ventry Bay, its four-mile-long
beach (to your right as you face the water), and distant Skellig Michael, which you'll see
all along this part of the route. Skellig Michael—an island jutting up like France's Mont
St. Michel—contains the rocky remains of a sixth-century monastic settlement (described
in previous chapter). Next to it is a smaller island, Little Skellig—a breeding ground for
gannets (seagull-like birds with six-foot wingspans). In 1866, the first transatlantic cable
was laid from nearby Valentia Island to Canada's Newfoundland (see sidebar on here ) . It
was in use until 1965. Mount Eagle (1,660 feet), rising across the bay, marks the end of
Ireland.
Currach Boats
A currach is the traditional fishing boat of the west coast of Ireland—lightweight
and easy to haul. In your Dingle travels, you'll see a few actual currach
boats—generally retired and stacked where visitors can finger them and ponder the
simpler age when they were a key part of the economy. They were easy to make:
Coverawoodenframewithcanvas(originally cowhide)andpaintwithtar—presto.
A currach's advantage was maneuverability on the sea and ease in getting into and
out of the water. Its disadvantage was its fragility when hauling anything other than
men or fish. When transporting sheep, farmers would lash each sheep's pointy little
hooves together and place it carefully upside-down in the currach —so it wouldn't
puncture the frail little craft's canvas skin.