Dingle St. Patrick's Day Festivities
Dingle’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations kick-start at the crack of dawn at 6am when Dingle’s Fife and Drum Band take to the streets in keeping with a long tradition which is usually supported by hundreds of enthusiastic followers.
The band march from the Old Hospital, around the town, waking up young and old but also bringing a magical start to the day.
A 6:30am stop at St. Mary’s Church where Mass is offered by the local parish priest for the band who provide various tunes during the ceremony.
The morning session finishes around at 7:30am at Ashmount Terrace with Amhrán na bhFiann.
The main St. Patrick’s Day parade is scheduled to start at 12:45pm from Ashmount Terrace and follow the traditional route through the streets of the town. Passing through Goat Street, Main Street, The Mall, Bridge Street, Strand Street, turning at the Quay and returning to the Old Hospital via Green Street and Goat Street.
Féile na Bealtaine stokes the fire beneath a cauldron of culture, community and creativity. Its embers glow throughout the year. We nourish and showcase local creativity, while inspiring outside influeneces. We gently lead our community towards meaningful creative experiences.
Dingle Adventure Race is a one day Multi Activity Adventure Race consisting of 3 courses of Bike, Hike, Run and Kayak.
The races in Dingle are the biggest of all Horse & Pony races in Ireland. The real racing fan cannot miss the twenty races that are spread over the weekend.
The local saying that the summer is gone after the races might not be completely true, but what is true is that the races are the absolute highlight on Dingle’s event calendar! More than 160 horses from all over the country will compete in these races for prices as high as €6,000.
The centre of the racecourse is filled with bouncing castles, fortune-tellers and fair stands that sell everything from bouncing balls to saddler’s sponges. Entertainment for the whole family!
A two-day programme of highly competitive races displaying the skill and expertise of the boat men and women of Corca Dhuibhne and further afield, in Dingle Harbour.
Dingle half and full marathon takes place around the spectacular Dingle Peninsula.
The course consists of a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) and a Full Marathon (26.2 miles) which traverse the spectacular Dingle Peninsula. This is a ‘must do’ event in one of Ireland’s must beautiful locations on Slea Head with the course designed for runners and walkers to enjoy its breath taking scenery and beautiful rugged coastline. This is the only day in the year when vehicular traffic is removed from Slea Head immersing runners in the natural beauty of the Dingle Peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way.
Dingle town comes alive this weekend with an incredible atmosphere and good times guaranteed all weekend. The Dingle Marathon is not just a marathon; it is the experience of a lifetime. Many seasoned international runners have described the Dingle Marathon as simply the best that they have experienced in the entire world. The unique “Dingle vibe” is very difficult for us to explain but once you’ve experienced it you’ll never forget it!
The Dingle Food Festival takes place on the first weekend in October every year in the beautiful fishing town of Dingle on the Dingle Peninsula on the Wild Atlantic Way. It is organised by a group of local people on a non profit making basis.
Locals call it ‘The Best Weekend of the Year’. The town comes alive with locals and tourists alike. Everyone comes home for the Dingle Food Festival and tourists come from far and wide across the globe that weekend just for the festival.
Highlights of the festival include cookery demonstrations, food trail, over 50 market stalls, workshops, street entertainment, childrens events, wine tastings, and much much more.
Far and away the most popular part of the festival is ‘The Taste Trail‘. Festival goers purchase a book of taste trail tickets and can then visit over 70 venues around the town offering tastings of the best food and drink the Peninsula has to offer.
The festival in conjunction with various local organisations is aiming to make the Dingle Food Festival waste free by 2020.
Féile na Soilse
The ever popular Féile na Soilse/Parade of Light and lighting of the Dingle Christmas Lights takes place every year at the beginning of December.
A lantern parade of local primary school children parade around Dingle town led by the Dingle Fife & Drum Band, after which the Christmas tree and lights are turned on by a mystery celebrity.
Wren's Day in Dingle
(St. Stephen's Day)
On St. Stephen’s Day, December 26th, crowds of people take to the roads in various parts of Ireland, dressed in motley clothing, wearing masks or straw suits and accompanied by musicians – remembering a festival with antecedents that long predate Christmas. The Wren – sometimes pronounced and written, wran – was once common all over Ireland.
Photo by Jingda Chen on Unsplash
Dingle New Year's Fireworks Display
Join us on New Year’s Eve down at the pier at 8pm for the best fireworks display in Kerry.
A collection will be taking place at the pier to raise funds for the fireworks so make sure your pockets are full of change.