I thought yesterday might be a difficult day to beat because it’s hard to compete with a dog walking a donkey but today ended up being the highlight of the trip so far for both of us. Side note on the donkey-walking dog: this is apparently a common phenomenon in Dingle and the two were likely on their way to the Tourist Information center where the dog is often spotted perched on the donkey’s back.

Though we started the day with a misty rain, the wind was much gentler. We slept in this morning (for us, at least) and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in our B&B before heading out to wander the town, following the self-guided tour in our trusty Rick Steves travel guide. Dingle isn’t a particularly large town so the tour went relatively quickly, especially since many of the shops had not yet opened for the day. Around mid-morning, we headed back to the Slea Head loop for the working sheepdog demonstration we booked in advance. This particular demonstration also promised the opportunity to hold a baby lamb, which I had a neutral opinion about because I wasn’t sure lambs particularly liked being held by people. But upon arrival, we were ushered into a smaller fenced-off area and I was immediately handed a two-week-old lamb to hold. I expected that it might try to struggle a little, but it just snuggled right in and I was caught off guard by how relaxed and docile it was.

After a few minutes, we all relinquished our baby lambs to hike up the hill for the demonstration. There were three border collies today that participated in the demonstration: Max, Cooper, and Rose. Max and Cooper are both three years old. Max only understands English commands and Cooper only understands Irish commands. Rose is a year and a half old and receives commands in English but picks and chooses which she will follow. She gets caught up in the excitement and gets the zoomies. The three of them worked together to move a flock from the upper pasture to the lower one and it was a joy to behold and particularly entertaining listening to the shepherd try to reign in the unruly and exuberant Rose who just wants to run so fast.

After the demonstration, we briefly checked out the famine houses onsite before heading back to the car and back into Dingle town for lunch. We opted to try again at the recommended restaurant that had a long wait yesterday, hoping that the lunch crowd would be lighter. We got right in and both had some variation of fish and chips with mushy peas. After lunch, we had just enough time to let our food digest before heading out on a sealife boat tour around the peninsula. We put on our warmest layers and headed to the office to check in, where we were provided with waterproof jackets and pants, as well as warm gloves and hats, and each fitted with a life jacket.

It was pretty cold out on the water and we were grateful for the extra layers they provided. The boat moves pretty fast between stops, so we had to hold onto our hats to keep them from flying off in the wind. But the scenery was beautiful and we got to see quite a lot of wildlife. It’s nesting season for the gulls, so we saw quite a lot of them perched up on the cliff tending their nests. We saw a good number of cormorants, as well, and some interesting birds that we only identified later as razorbills that look a lot like penguins but flying in the air instead of water. And of course, puffins! So many puffins with their colorful bills floating around in big groups near Great Blasket Island. We also saw a giant colony of gray seals sunning themselves on a beach and listened to their haunting wails as our boat floated quietly offshore. Finally, and perhaps one of the most magical moments, was when Charles spotted a dolphin and the captain slowed our boat to take a closer look. For somewhere around five minutes, five or six dolphins swam alongside us, surfacing on one side then dipping below the boat to surface again on the other side.

Eventually it was time to head back to the Dingle Harbor. In the excitement on the boat, we forgot to be cold. But once we were off the boat, we both felt a bit chilled so went in search of hot comfort food for dinner at another pub here in town.

Today’s Highlights

• A leisurely morning sightseeing around Dingle
• The most pliable and floppy baby lamb I could ever imagine that just melted into my arms
• Rose the sheepdog “doing the most” as one of our fellow tourists put it
• The shepherd explaining that Max and Cooper both required muzzles during demonstrations because one might accidentally bite a sheep in the excitement and the other might purposefully bite a person
• Learning that one of the dogs (we can’t remember which now) was smart but slow, while the other was fast and “full of beans”
• Delicious fish and chips and a half pint of beer for lunch
• Having just enough time to digest the fish, chips, and beer before going out onto the open sea in a small seacraft
• Beautiful scenery on our boat tour
• PUFFINS!
• Chilling with the dolphins
• A pint of Murphy’s and fresh mussels & fish pie for dinner

Tomorrow’s Proposed Adventures

• Scenic drive to the Cliffs of Moher (including a ferry ride)
• Exploring the cliffs
• Scenic drive through the Burren with a couple of stops thrown in
• Arrival in Galway