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"One
day in Dingle, I set off down a road in search of Slea Head,
said to be a gorgeous spot that overlooks the
Blasket
Islands
.
I never found it.
My navigating skills notwithstanding, the western edge of the
peninsula is beautiful - rugged and dramatic. Just rent the
movie "Ryan's Daughter," and you'll see what I mean.
That, and "Far and Away," were filmed on the
Dingle
Peninsula
."
"The
drive around Slea Head is spectacular on a sunny day
(which we had) and "wild and woolly" if it's stormy!
The circle can be done at a leisurely pace in one day,
stopping to view the excellent
Blasket
Island
Center
on the way and returning via
Dingle. This circle drive takes in ancient
Kilmakedar
Church
, the Ogham stones and the famous
Gallarus Oratory; most of these sites date from the fifth
century..
"
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"On
we go, along the coast with a sheer drop on our left and
the Atlantic lashing against the windows; through a
stream that runs over the road; past the sudden,
shocking sight of a life-sized crucifixion by the
passing point at Slea Head. The Christ figure is
a weatherblasted white, but rusty blood flows from his
hands and feet.
Around
the next bend, rising up between two valleys at the tip
of the peninsula, is the headland of Dn Mr, the last
flourish of the Slieve Mish mountains before they plunge
downwards into the sea, their black heels kicking foam
up into the Blasket Sound. This treacherous stretch of
water has an undertow as fast as a motorway, sucking
wrecks and bodies down into the darkness. In ancient
times this was thought to be the edge of the world.
The
view is dominated by the sight I have travelled so far
to see again: a mile out to sea, the Great Blasket,
first and largest of a group of six islands. "Seen
from above, you would think them sea-monsters of an
antique world languidly lifting time-worn backs above
the restless and transitory waves," wrote Robin
Flower in his book The Western Island.
The
high road rises around Slea Head, a dramatic
mountain and seascape route that has become one of the
most photographed scenes in
Ireland
.
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