What's on in Dingle, Ireland through the year

Busy — Christmas break in Ireland, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Atlantic storm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))

Busy — February mid-term break in Ireland, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Atlantic storm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — St Patrick's Day, Easter break in Ireland

• Holiday

  St Patrick's Day

  16–18 MarNational holidayCrowded

  17 March is a public holiday with a parade in almost every town, followed by music sessions in packed pubs from midday. Hotels fill and rates rise, above all when it makes a long weekend, and visitors arrive from abroad for it. Source ↗

Busy — Easter break in Ireland, school holidays in 6 of the markets that fill it

• Opening

  Blasket Islands boats

  1 Apr – 30 Sep · usuallySummer season opens

  The boats to the Great Blasket run from about Easter to the end of September and are cancelled for swell as often as for rain. Landing on the island is a different trip from the eco-cruise around it. Source ↗

Quiet — travelers describe it as quiet, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Nature

  Puffins on the Blaskets

  1 May – 5 Aug · usuallyBirdlife season

  The colonies are ashore from May until early August and then leave the cliffs overnight. Seeing them means taking a boat, not walking the headland.

Still on: Blasket Islands boats (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Ireland, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in June.

Still on: Blasket Islands boats (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Puffins on the Blaskets (1 May – 5 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Irish summer holidays, Summer holidays in Ireland

• Holiday

  Irish summer holidays

  1 Jul – 31 AugSchool holidaysCrowdedBook early

  Slea Head Drive is single track with coaches going one way round it, and in July and August the peninsula runs at capacity. Book the town's rooms months out or stay inland. Source ↗

Still on: Blasket Islands boats (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Puffins on the Blaskets (1 May – 5 Aug (usually))

Peak crowds — Irish summer holidays, Dingle Races

• Festival

  Dingle Races

  5–20 Aug · usuallySporting eventCrowdedBook early

  Two days of racing at Ballintaggart above the harbour in the second half of August, and the town's busiest weekend of the year by some distance. Source ↗

Still on: Blasket Islands boats (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually)), Puffins on the Blaskets (1 May – 5 Aug (usually)), Irish summer holidays (1 Jul – 31 Aug)

Busy — Dingle Food Festival, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Dingle Food Festival

  28 Sep – 8 Oct · usuallyFood & drink festivalCrowded

  The first weekend of October, run by volunteers, built around a taste trail through the pubs and shops rather than a single marquee. It is the last busy weekend before winter. Source ↗

Still on: Blasket Islands boats (1 Apr – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — Dingle Food Festival, October mid-term break in Ireland

• Hazard

  Atlantic storm season

  15 Oct – 28 Feb · usually

  Named lows come in off the ocean from mid-autumn and the peninsula takes them first. Boat trips stop, and the coast road at Slea Head gets closed for spray and debris. Source ↗

Still on: Dingle Food Festival (28 Sep – 8 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Festival

  Other Voices

  28 Nov – 10 Dec · usuallyMusic festivalBook early

  Filmed sessions in the tiny St James' Church in early December, with the overflow shown in the pubs down the street. The church tickets are balloted and the town is full regardless. Source ↗

Still on: Atlantic storm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually))

Peak crowds — Christmas Day shutdown, Christmas break in Ireland

• Holiday

  Christmas Day shutdown

  24–26 DecChristmas & New YearClosures

  Ireland comes closest to a full stop on 25 December: pubs, shops and most restaurants close and there are no trains or buses anywhere in the country. St Stephen's Day on the 26th is also a public holiday, though pubs reopen and there are races and walks. Source ↗

• Festival

  Wren Day

  26 DecMajor festival

  On St Stephen's Day the wren boys go through the streets in straw and colour with pipes and drums, and Dingle keeps the tradition harder than anywhere else in the country. Source ↗

Still on: Atlantic storm season (15 Oct – 28 Feb (usually)), Other Voices (28 Nov – 10 Dec (usually))