Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In the town of
Ventry
—a.k.a. Ceann Tra'—Gaelic is the first language. Ventry is little
more than a bungalow holiday village today. Urban Irish families love to come here in the
summer to immerse their kids in the traditional culture and wild nature. A large hall at the
edge of the village is used as a classroom where big-city students come on field trips to
learn the Gaelic language.
Just past the town, a lane leads left to a fine beach and mobile-home vacation com-
munity. An information board explains the history, geology, and bird life of this bay. The
humble trailer park has no running water or electricity. Locals like it for its economy and
proximity to the beach. From here, a lane also leads inland to
Long's Horseriding Centre
(described earlier, under “Sights in Dingle”). During World War II, a German U-boat
churned into this bay and put 28 Greek sailors ashore on this beach (and therefore onto
neutral Irish soil). They were survivors from a merchant ship that the sub had sunk...not
the kind of humanitarian gesture that German U-boat captains were known for making.
5.2 km:
Thebamboo-likerushesoneithersideoftheroadarethekindusedtomakethe
local thatched roofs. Thatching, which nearly died out because of the fire danger, is more
popular now that anti-flame treatments are available. It's not the cheap roofing alternative,
however, as it's expensive to pay the few qualified craftsman thatchers who remain in Ire-
land. Black-and-white magpies fly overhead.
