Although I live in London, I've got a stone cottage on the Dingle Peninsula. It was built by my Grandfather around 1916 after he returned from running a bar in New York. We're slowly doing it up to rentable standard.

It's at the foot of the Conor Pass - the other side from Dingle, in a small village called Cloghane. The whole area is in the Ghaeltacht.

There's music everywhere. People just start a song in the bars if there are no musicians. Even the kids play and sing. Irish visitors there tell me that having such music in the bars is rare in their parts of Ireland. It's still a very unspoilt little spot.

Dingle is a great place and the Slea Head tour West of Dingle is far superior to the Ring of Kerry. Get out to the Blaskets from Dunquin if you have time (and good weather). My favourite bars in Dingle are Dick Mac's, O'Flaherty's and a lovely little bar towards the pier called M T Moriarty's. The woman of the house in Moriarty's is related to the black haired beauty in "Raglan Road".

If you make it over the Pass to Cloghane and Brandon check out my local, O'Connor's in Cloghane and the stunningly situated Murphy's on the pier at Brandon.

This part of the peninsula is dominated by Mount Brandon, the "Mountain in the Sea". It's a great climb.

Go there and enjoy it.

Terry