The Turas kicks off in Dingle

Team Helly Hansan UK, Team Peak Adventure Australia and Team Lundhags Adventure in Sweden enjoying 'The Turas' opening ceremony, marking the beginning of a five day race over land, sea and mountain over the terrains of Kerry and West Cork.

Extreme sports event kicks off in Dingle

www.theturas.com

An Turas Mór, a six-day world series adventure race where 40 super athletes take on mountains, lakes, sea in the ultimate test of human endurance, kicked off in Dingle on June 16th.

Dingle Fishermen protest

Forced to dump their own fish while imports are branded as 'Irish'
Dingle fishermen call for Government and EU action to save local fishing industry

The fishermen of Dingle took a stand this week on Dingle Pier, as they protested in solidarity with fishermen all over the country, drawing attention to the fact that while non-EU fish is being imported into Ireland to be sold and branded as 'Irish' fish; they are forced to dump large proportions of their catches to comply with EU quotas. Highlighting the dire state of Ireland's fishing economy, the peaceful protest was staged at Dingle Pier throughout Tuesday as the fishermen of West Kerry spoke out against rising diesel prices, the importation of non-EU fish into Ireland, the imposition of quotas and stringent EU regulation which they feel is about to extinguish one of Kerry's traditional industries.
"With all the talk about the Lisbon Treaty and what Europe has done for us, there has been nothing said about the state the Irish fishing industry is in, because of the EU" said the protesting fishermen's representative.
"In order to comply with the quotas set upon us by the EU, we have to dump a lot of our catches at sea or we will be penalised, this is insane."
Despite this surplus, the fishermen protesting say that thousands of tonnes of non-EU fish is being exported into the country; sold and branded as Irish fish. They are calling for the Government and the Department of the Marine to step in and negotiate some sort of traceability system similar to the one in place for Irish meat produce. "Now, fish from Non-EU countries is being exported into the country and being sold as Irish fish, yet we have to dump our own catches, it's a disgrace" said the spokesperson. Rising fuel costs was cited as another reason for the protest as the cost of fishing at, according to the fishermen, the price of fuelling their boats has doubled since this time last year due to the surges in Irish diesel and oil prices. "We just can't go on like this, someone needs to come to the table and start talking sooner rather than later or else Kerry's fishing industry will soon become a thing of the past. How can we condone a Europe that makes us dump our own fish while allowing non-EU imports to be sold in Ireland as Irish fish? How come we are restricted in fishing in our own waters while other fleets can plunder billions from our seas?" said the spokesperson. "Something has to be done or else the fishing industry in Kerry and the rest of the country is finished."

Ó Guinea go Glaise

West Kerry native, Ciara Gorman and her husband, Aboubacar Sidibe who hails from Guinea have brought West African art to Dingle with the unveiling of their new business, Ó Guinea go Glaise, a new arts and crafts store dedicated to representing the arts and crafts of Guinea, Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

Dingle makes top twenty global desinations

Dingle makes top twenty global destinations

Its official, Dingle is among the top twenty destinations in the world you simply must visit, according to www.tripadvisor.com which is basing the poll on the millions that leave feedback on the site every day. The Top Twenty Travel Destinations in the world, according to the poll, are: Milford Sound, New Zealand, Queensland, New Zealand, Philipsburg, St. Maaten, Cayo Largo, Cuba, Rhodes, Greece, Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas (US Virgin Island), Cruz Bay, St John (US Virgin Island), Bridgestown, Barbados, Banff, Canada, Lake Tahoe, Canada, Salzburg, Austria, Cape Town, South Africa , Amalfi, Italy, Bath, England, Siena, Italy , Victoria, British Colombia , Hamilton, Bermuda, Dingle, Ireland (!), Lake Louise, Canada and Bruges, Belguim.

Dingle is the only Irish destination to make the global top twenty,an immense feat for a small town in the South West of Ireland! Tripadvisor also feature a top twenty European destinations, of which Dingle rates in the top ten, sitting at No. 6 in the poll ahead of destinations such as the Vatican City and Venice in Italy and even Paris!

For tripadvisors top twenty destination guide, visit http://www.tripadvisor.com/.

Féile na Bealtaine 2008: Ceol, cultúr agus craic

Music to my ears: Trad musicians Fergus Ó'Flaithbheartaigh and Feargal MacAmhlaoibh in Flaherty's Bar, Dingle, performing during Féile na Bealtaine last week.

Féile na Bealtaine brings Dingle to life

CEOIL: Ceol agus craic ar sráideanna an Daingin le cheoltóirí ó banna cheoil Vagabontu ón Romáin i rith Féile na Bealtaine.

Dingle welcomes summer with Féile na Bealtaine

COMHRÁ: Scríobhneoirí Mairín Feirteár, Danny Mac an tSíthigh agus ealaíonteoir Sandra Landers ag comhrá faoi dánta nua ón fhile Dariena Ní Chinnéide i rith Féile na Bealtaine. (www.feilenabealtaine.ie)

Marathon men hit the road for Cystic Fibrosis

Marathon men hit the road for Cystic Fibrosis

Local athletes to take on Cork, Dublin and New York City Marathons

Two West Kerry men are preparing to take on three major marathons over the next few months in an effort to raise much needed funds for Cystic Fibrosis Ireland. Veteran local runner, Martin Halloran from Ballyeightra, Dingle will be joined by Seán Cahillane, a Ballydavid man new to the marathon circuit, in an effort to complete both the Cork City Marathon this June and the Dublin City Marathon in October (making it Martin's fifth Dublin City Marathon and Seán's first), which are both 26.2 miles in length. Four days later, Martin will board a plane to head for the US where he will take part in the world renowned New York City Marathon, where 38,000 people, with many celebrities thrown into the mix, pound the streets of the Big Apple. Over the next few months, the lads will be busy preparing for the immense tasks ahead, training hard on wild and windy roads of West Kerry while launching a concerted drive to raise sponsorship for Cystic Fibrosis, which claimed two young lives over the past year and a half in the West, that of young woman Mary Hand of Dingle and teenager Paidí Grummel of Carrig. Seán and Martin train during the week and each Sunday they run from Baile na nGall to Dún Chaoin and back.
"The Cork City Marathon in June will be my first marathon, hopefully it will all go well and I'll be able to finish it!" said Seán. Martin is also looking forward to the challenges ahead, especially the New York City Marathon. "Its a lifelong dream to compete in the New York City Marathon" said Martin, who has completed the Dublin City Marathon an amazing four times over the past few years. Both runners are keen to raise as much as they can for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland and a number of sponsorship cards will be made available in local shops and outlets in the West Kerry area over the coming weeks. Anyone interested in sponsoring the lads in their quest or in obtaining a sponsorship card may contact Seán at 087-7855419.

US Choir to perform in St. Mary's Church, Dingle

Dingle makes a comeback

Dingle's back, along with Daingean Uí Chúis!

So the week's big news, the names Dingle and Daingean Uí Chúis are to receive official status! Minister for Environment John Gormley TD made an announcement last Tuesday that he was about to amend legislation which would allow the bilingual names of Dingle and Daingean Uí Chúis to be officially recognised at the town's offical english and irish names, demoting the name An Daingean which had been imposed as the town's official name by the Offical Languages Act. Locals held a plebiscite in the town 555 days ago where over 90% voted for Dingle/Daingean Uí Chúis, rather than An Daingean. However the Government had not, until this week, made any moves towards recognising the result of the plebiscite. A year of lobbying and meetings by South Kerry TD, Jackie Healy-Rae and Senator Joe O'Toole and a deal struck with Taoiseach Berite Ahern all contributed to Mr. Gormleys undertaking this week. "I'm delighted to be able to keep my promise to the people of Dingle" said Deputy Healy-Rae from his offices in Dublin last Tuesday. "I also want to thank An Taoiseach Berite Ahern for keeping his commitment to me on his last day in the cabinet."
Locals are delighted with the announcement which will see Daingean Uí Chúis sign posted in An Gaeltacht and Dingle/Daingean Uí Chúis everywhere else. "We are absolutely delighted with this announcement and wish to thank everyone who has supported this, in particular Deputy Healy-Rae for all his efforts in the Dáil in finding the key to unlocking this solution as well as Senator Joe O'Toole and the members of Kerry County Council who voted to present the plebiscite to Government" said Fergus Ó'Flaithbheartaigh of Coiste Dingle-Daingean Uí Chúis. "Dingle and Daingean Uí Chúis has a proud heritage and we are delighted the names will now receive the proper recognition they deserve.
READ THE FULL STORY: www.dinglename.com