Today was a free day to explore the area. We stayed in town, but there were boat tours, horseback riding, bicycle rentals, and other options as well.
Last night, however, we visited the local hardware store.
It doubles as an entertainment venue and bar in the evening. These two guys, along with 3 others were very good, playing traditional Irish music. Bars with music at night plus some other type of business during the day were common in Dingle through the years.
Another beautiful day in Ireland.
Dingle Distillery is just down the road from us, so we took a tour. As an after thought, the company decided to make vodka and gin. Their gin wound up being designated best gin in the world. Not sure who did the judging on that one, but they do command a hefty price.
We ended the day at the music store, where we were treated to more traditional Irish music. Niamh (pronounced Nave) was trained classically on the cello, but does quite well on the violin. The country music out of Appalachia has it roots in Ireland/Scotland, and you can definitely hear it here. There was a mass migration from Ireland to America and Canada in the early 1700's. They were called "Billies", which was a derogatory term, and many settled in Appalachia. Hence the word hillbillies, or so goes the theory goes. Some people think the phrase "so long" comes from the Irish word "slan" for goodbye. We got to sit in the front row in Siopa Ceoil (Dingle Music Shop) in a crowded room that only seated about 50 people. Another example of a shop that changes business in the evenings.
Watching this 10 year old girl dance was a real treat.
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