Dingle

 I was just down at the Hillgrove Hotel in Dingle/An Daingean/Daingean Ui Chuis, where they are counting the ballots from the plebiscite regarding the name change.

It would seem by the piles that the Tá/Yes votes will comfortable win it, although we will have to wait for the final tally.

The turn-out was very high, with 1080 votes cast out of just over 1200.

I think the final count will be done around 2:00, but the concensus on the ground is that it’s just a question at this stage of how big the victory will be for the Tá/Yes camp, which means (very unofficially at this early stage) the people have spoken up for Dingle/Daingean Uí­ Chúis as the official name…

Added 16:00: Here’s the final breakdown as I have been given it – 1095 voted out of 1224. 20 ballots were spoiled, 70 voted “Nil/No,” and 1005 voted “Tá/Yes.” So it’s a resounding win for the “Tá/Yes” or Dingle/Daingean Uí Chuis camp…

Technorati tags: Dingle, An Daingean, Daingean Ui Chuis, name, plebiscite, ballot

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 There certainly are times that I feel blessed living in Dingle, and this weekend has been one of them.

The past few days have been sunny and warm – unusually so for October.

Since things are quieter in the shops this time of year, I took the opportunity to take some time for myself and go for several walks – one of them the length of Ventry strand.

Ivan, our old English sheepdog came along, although he was lagging by the end. He is not a puppy anymore!

He is so connected to the ice cream shop. In our first years, he would lie most days draped across the front door as my brother and myself worked away inside. Customers had to stumble over him to gain access. I’m sure anyone who was in to us in the early days would remember him!

Technorati tags: Dingle, Irish, Ventry, beach, sheepdog, strand

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

Here in Dingle/An Daingean/Daingean Ui Chuis, we have received our ballots for the plebiscite regarding the name change.

Two interesting points:

1. It’s hardly a secret ballot, since you have to sign and put your address as well as having it witnessed. That doesn’t seem to make sense in terms of the rules of referenda which refer to secrecy… 
2. There has been much made in the press about the Irish vs. the English name, but there is another big factor – there are few Dingle people that I know who consider “An Daingean” to be the correct Irish name – it’s “Daingean Ui Chuis”. So the “yes” camp includes the unlikely pairing of Irish language purists and anglophiles…

I always feel happy for referenda – it’s power to the people and true democracy at work. However, I don’t believe the plebiscite is binding so it will be interesting to see what comes out of it.

The deadline for the ballot is October 19th, and whatever happens, Dingle/An Daingean/Daingean Ui Chuis will be happy for all the publicity …

Technorati tags: Dingle, An Daingean, Daingean Ui Chuis, name, plebiscite, ballot

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 It was all about cups in Dingle yesterday. First we were visited in the shop by the West Kerry Under-12 girls, who won their final, most convincingly by all accounts. Congratulations to them!

Then we had the Heineken Cup paraded through the streets with Mick Galway and two of the Munster lads in attendance.

There were great crowds to witness it, and it was wonderful to see the excitement in the kids, especially those involved in Dingle rugby.

One can only hope that some of them who held the cup and had their photographs taken with the players will be stars in the future…

It was a lesson in grass-roots marketing. There will be many people, especially the younger ones, who will remember this as a special occasion, and it certainly will give rugby a boost in the area.

Technorati tags: Dingle, Kerry, Munster, football, rugby, Heineken Cup

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

Imagine my surprise when I stopped by the production today to take care of some bits and pieces, and there was Wiebke, our baker extraordinaire (and my brother’s partner), with a couple of freshly baked cakes for the shops.

She is three days past her due date, but there is no stopping her! Hopefully very soon I will be able to post some baby photos of my new niece or nephew…

In other news, the flags have gone up very late in support of Kerry and their encounter with Mayo in the All Ireland Final. Maybe it’s due to disappointment over not meeting Dublin or just general complacency given the result of the 2004 final, but the lack of excitement has been quite pronounced.

In fact, there are more flags up for Munster than for Kerry, but then the Heineken Cup is coming to town this afternoon.

Still, there is a small buzz growing around the place – a slowly building sense of expectation. I plan to be there in Croke Park, but I would be very surprised if the final is as easy as it was the last time we met Mayo…

Technorati tags: Dingle, Kerry, All Ireland, football, baker, cake

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 We’ve had the sailors from the yacht race La Solitaire Affelou Le Figaro in town for the last few days, and they sailed back toward France today on their final leg.

We helped sponsor one of the skippers, Pietro D’Ali and fed him a bit of ice cream…

La Figaro is a gruelling solo race that’s as much endurance test as anything else. The sailors have identical boats and just themselves to get them through each multi-day leg.

To get an update on how Pietro and the other sailors are doing, check out the race’s stunning website that has gps positions tied to a map and the actual routes of all the boats.

The Jeannie Johnston was in the mouth of Dingle harbour today to help them on their way along with Fungie and a few local naomhogs, but now it’s up to the sailors to make it safely back to France in the fastest possible time.

Technorati tags: Dingle, yacht, race, La Solitaire, Figaro, France

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

Dingle has hardly been left out of the growing boom in farmer’s markets, and the Friday market is definitely worth a look and nibble for anyone in town on that day.

Set on a vacant lot, between the back of Garvey’s Supervalue and O’Flaherty’s Pub, it houses around twenty stalls.

With offerings from Maja’s Dingle Peninsula Cheeses and Olivier Beaujouan’s seafood products to vegetables, meats, bread and baked goods, it’s definitely a place to stock up for a picnic lunch.

There are also some craft stalls including Britta’s excellent woolen jumpers.

The market has definitely been gaining in popularity over the past year or so, and yesterday there was a big crowd of customers.

It’s over by mid-afternoon, so it’s worth getting in early…

Technorati tags: Dingle, farmers, market, craft, food, Kerry

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites

 The Discovery channel is filming in Dingle as part of a series of great walks (the Mount Brandon walk is one of them).

They came into us this morning and interviewed me and filmed myself and my brother inside our shop. (That’s your’s truly above with the smile frozen on the face.)

It’s great that they are giving focus to hill-walking as the landscape here is so beautiful, and there is never any harm in a bit of publicity for ourselves. We were delighted to help out when they asked us. It will be interesting to see if the ice cream segment makes it into the final piece, and whether I committed any verbal gaffes. I did find it fun, though…

The only shame was that it was a bit disruptive to our regular customers (who made themselves scarce at the first sign of the camera), and I appreciate their patience!

One would certainly think that such a program will do tourism in Dingle no harm, though this time of year one wonders if it needs it…

Technorati tags: Dingle, Discovery, channel, Mt. Brandon, walk, tourism

Bookmark to (click here):

Hide Sites