Oysters, Mussels, and Lamb in Foodie Dingle...
Dingle: A cozy southwest Irish town where seafood shines and locals linger over chats.
“The Irish will play any instrument that washes up on their shores better than the people who invented it.” – Steve Earle, songwriter and musician
A couple months ago, my husband, kiddo #3, and I went to hear Steve Earle play in a small space in Colorado—just him and a guitar. Turns out, it was half-concert, half library story hour, the whole evening unfolding like a spoken-word autobiography with songs and opinions tucked in between the vignettes.
He admires Irish musicians—and so do we...
It’s easy to do. We sat in Nelligan’s Bar in Dingle this past Tuesday evening, listening to a dozen locals sit in a circle and play—a grandmotherly accordion player, a young man barely in his 20s on guitar, a tall young woman with a long Irish flute, a white-haired fellow, his arm pumping the uilleann pipes... guitars, fiddles, and more. Steve Earle was right...
Dingle is rich with music, even now, at the tail end of the shoulder season.
The night before, we’d enjoyed a fine dinner of oysters, mussels, sole and scallops at the warm, low-ceilinged Half Door Restaurant, where brass pots hang on the wall and brass pitchers over the bar. A gentle soundtrack—part American, part Irish—played through dinner, and when we mentioned we were enjoying the music, our server allowed as how it was his colleague, Julian, singing.
(For an audio peek into our Dingle experience, give a listen to Julian Bolan and his twin brother—they call themselves, appropriately, Brother.)
In search of live music, Julian told us to duck into The Courthouse (and you really do need to duck)—but it was quiet. The friendly bartender reported that the gentleman who usually plays there had been in earlier for a pint on his way to play at Adams Bar.
So he sent us off to Adams to find him, which we did... thoroughly enjoyable, but we arrived toward the end of his evening... which is how we ended up at Nelligan’s, by following the sound of the “trad session” there spilling out into the street...
You really gotta love a town of only 2,000 people that offers up this many good musical options on an average weeknight.
We so enjoyed Dingle’s end-of-season vibe—one local told us: “This is the best time to be here. It’s not so crowded, and there’s still the possibility each day that the sun will come out.” Admittedly, there’s also the possibility that it won’t, but we got lucky. It rained very little, and we did, indeed, see the sun.
Shops and restaurants were open, and while a few tour buses parked down by the harbor had brought tourists for day-trip visits, we had the main streets mostly to ourselves. And in the evenings, in particular, the town was largely ours.
Even at the best restaurants, it was possible to drop in and get a table. (Though word to the wise: the best tables go to those who reserve in advance.)
In addition to the convivial Half Door—we ate well across the street from it at Land to Sea, a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick, which earned its nod—my husband’s lamb was excellent, and I’m still talking about my chicken and mushroom pate appetizer.
We kept gravitating to the same block—you’ll find excellent seafood pasta at Doyle’s, just next door to The Half Door.
And if you like oysters, you’ll find them in abundance—at every restaurant—and my husband tried them all...
Dingle is a foodie town, no question—which marks the “official” end of the season each year with a food festival in early October. Next year’s Dingle Food Festival is set for October 2-4, 2026.
We’re sorely tempted to return for it. Though if we decide to do that, we’ll book accommodation well in advance as it’s limited in town. (And being right in town, as we were, was a boon. No need to take the car out after dark or to walk a long way in the rain.)
We stayed in an Airbnb on a quiet street—and you’ll also find a few B&Bs and hotels in the heart of the action. A group of holiday cottages with views marks the edge of town, and we chatted up a retired American from Wisconsin who said he and his college buddies had rented what he described as a “massive, luxurious house” they were walking to with headlamps on—looking like they were in for a bit of a hike.
So you do have a range of overnight options... but again, I’d say right in-town is your best bet.
During the day, however, you’ll want to venture farther afield. The Wild Atlantic Way is at your doorstep... and worth every harrowing turn.
— Jennifer Stevens, IL Executive Editor
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