presentation convent dingle

1257:    In the year 1257 King Henry 111 of England passed a law placing customs duties on all goods exported through Dingle.   There is a reference in the Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland 1252-84, which records the payment of £12.00 to the custom authorities by merchants using the port of Dingle. To put some perspective on this, Dingle was paying customs duties, and trading with France and Spain centuries before America had even been discovered.   [ Back To Top ]  NORMAN TRADE BETWEEN DINGLE AND THE CONTINENT When the Normans settled in Dingle, the harbour began to evolve as a major trading point in the South West of Ireland.   The principal exports from the town were wool, hides, salt meat, fish and butter.   The chief imports were wine, salt, coal and articles of clothing.  An Act of Parliament was passed in 1569, which limited the number of ports through which wines could be imported.   Dingle was listed among the towns in this Act and is referred to as “Dingle Husey otherwise called Dingle I Couch.” [ Back To Top ]  SPANISH INFLUENCE IN DINGLE Dingle reached the highest point of its importance in the course of the sixteenth century.   It was one of the great trading ports of the south.  Continental wine ships and other merchant vessels plied in and out of the harbour, tying up at the Spanish pier (presently Dingle Marina).  Dingle was the main embarkation port for the great pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James at Compostella in Spain.   Strong commercial links developed between Dingle and Spain throughout the sixteenth century.   Several of the Houses in Dingle were built in the Spanish fashion, with ranges of stone balconies and marble door and window frames.  Inserted in the walls of houses in Green Street are stones with curious carvings, which are still well preserved.  One of these has the date 1586 prominent on it.  The others are more ornate and depict birds.   It is believed that these stones are survivals from a bygone age and the houses of the Spanish merchants who settled in Dingle at that time. The parish church of St. James is said to have been built by the Spaniards around the time of the great medieval pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James of Compostella, and was dedicated to St. James the patron Saint of Spain.  When the Reformation reached Dingle in the 16th century, the church passed into Protestant hands. In 1529 Charles V, King of Spain and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, sent his personal envoy, Gonzalo Fernandes to Dingle to parley with the Earl of Desmond.   An account of this meeting shows that the Earl wished to forge a political and military alliance with Spain and to have weapons and aid sent over from Spain to help the Earl rebel against England [ Back To Top ]  DINGLE AND THE DESMOND REBELLION   1574-1583 Disaster was on the way for Dingle.  It came in the form of the Desmond Rebellion.  In this tragic upheaval the principal movers were Gearoid XVI, Earl of Desmond, and his cousin James Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald.  The Earl had many enemies and had to contend not merely with the forces of the Queen of England, but also with his personal and traditional enemy, the Earl of Ormond, Thomas Butler (The Black Earl). In 1579 the Earl of Desmond was declared a traitor to the Queen and from then onwards, he was a wanted and hunted man. James Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald (his cousin) went to the courts of France and Spain and to the Pope, seeking military aid to assist the Irish rebel forces against Queen Elizabeth.  In July 1579, aid finally arrived at Dingle harbour in the form of an expeditionary force from Spain led by James Fitzmaurice- Fitzgerald.   As soon as they anchored at the Spanish pier, Sir Edward Denny and the Elizabethan army were alerted.   Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald was ambushed and killed shortly after his arrival at Dingle and within a few days the Spanish ships set sail for Smerwick harbour and they encamped at Dún an Óir.   There they stayed for over a year.   They were joined by a small reinforcement of Italians and some Irish.   The whole company saving very few, was massacred there in November 1580 by the English commanded by  Lord Grey de Wilton , the Lord Lieutenant.  The execution was supervised by  Sir Walter Raleigh  and  Sir Edward Denny .  Present at this massacre with the English forces were  Edmund Spencer , author of the Faerie Queen, and  Hugh O’Neill , later the Great Earl of Tyrone.  [ Back To Top ]  THE FAITH OF GREY AND THE MASSACRE OF FORT-DEL-ORE (Author Unknown) 1. The evening sun had sunk to rest below the western sea. The red October tintings lay on grass and gorse and sea; Along the curves of Smerwick bay the ocean danced and played, The sea-birds screamed their dismal notes as o’er the beach they strayed. 2. The hoary mountains towered high above the quiet glen, The gliding shadows wandered forth from vale and cave and fen- No other sound disturbed the hush along the wave-washed shore, Save the distant hum of Spanish tongue from rock-based Fort-del-Ore. 3. Above the tide, its rugged sides by many a tempest scarred, Rose up the goodly fortress tall, with sentinels on guard – With ensigns floating proud and free from bastion wall on high, And Spanish guns with good broad swords stood piled beneath the sky. 4. The crescent moon crept up the east with timid quiv’ring light, The quiet stars, from misty depths, grew fast upon the sight: The fog unfurled its shadow flags o’er Brandon’s hoary head, And shroud-like wrapped the mountain crests as cerements wrap the dead. 5. Within the fort, in careless mood, San Joseph and his men, Talked proudly of their late onslaught on Ormond in the Glen – Or Desmond’s pledged but tardy aid, and marveled at his stay, ‘By good St. James’ Pisano said ‘We’ll brook no more delay.’ 6. The morning sun rose large and red, the fog veils rolled away, Around the walls of Fort-del-Ore a large encampment lay – There to the east were Ormond’s troops, beside him Zouch and Grey, And there the courtly Raleigh’s men and Spencer’s stopped the way. 7. Outside the bay lay Winter’s fleet – thus cutting off retreat, ‘Now, by my faith’, Lord Grey exclaimed, ‘We’ll rouse them to their feet:  Commence ye then and let them have a taste of English cannon, I’ll sweep the county of the serfs from Dingle to the Shannon’ 8. The cannon boomed, the trenches neared the isolated fort, The answering echoes bore the roar of cannon from the port; The Spaniards sallied, fought, retired; the English nearer drew Till sixty paces from the fort their deep entrenchment grew. 9. And then commenced the deadly fray; the air grew black with death, From iron throats the balls sped fast, from dying lips the breath, The jaded Spaniards fought and bled for God and King of Spain And watched and prayed for Desmond’s aid, their prayers, alas, were vain. 10. The third sun sank upon the strife, when, lo! A banner small, Like a snow-white bird kept flutt’ring from a flagstaff on the wall – ‘Surrender – ha!’ Lord Grey exclaimed to Raleigh, ‘I’ll be sure To spare not man, nor maid, nor child – revenge for Glenmalure’. 11. The quiet night dropped slowly down, the moon rose o’er the hill, The echoes ceased their tumult strange, the fort and camp were still. The waves with voices weird and sad, were moaning on the strand, And veils of smoke crept low and close across the darkened land. 12. The dawn blushed coyly in the east, the truce flag fluttered white, The chain-bridge spanned the ravine ‘tween the mainland and the height;  With faltering steps the Spaniards filed, San Joseph at their head,  With ensigns trailed, and muskets dropped, their dark brows flushing red. 13. ‘Fair terms, Senor’, San Joseph said, ‘For these my trusted men’, A mocking laugh from Grey’s cold lips rang out o’er hill and glen. ‘Raleigh and Mackworth, haste you both to yon den above the sea, And rid us of the carrion foul! Senor, you stay with me.’ 14. A hush! A murmur! Stifled cries! Then prayers for help arose, ‘Misericordia! Dios mios! Vain words to Saxon Foes; And cries and prayers and dying wails and clash of swords went on, ‘Brave’ Raleigh fleshed his maiden sword and slew till all were gone. 15. Till all were gone – Oh God! Like leaves before the blast The Spaniards fell in slaughtered heaps.  Their dying forms were cast Into the seething hungry waves to rot beneath the tide And some were thrown in loathsome heaps on rock or green hillside. 16. Beyond the sea in sunny Spain, dark legends to this day, Repeat the wrongs of Fort-del-Ore and the broken faith of Grey. (On the 20th July 1980 Taoiseach, Charles J. Haughey, unveiled a memorial on the sea-front at Strand Street to commemorate the landing of James Fitzmaurice-Fitzgerald in Dingle with Spanish help on 17th July 1579.   The year 1980 marked the fourth centenary of the massacre of the Spanish led force at Dun an Oir.) [ Back To Top ]  THE BLACK EARL’S RAID While the ill fated force was encamped at Dún an Óir, the Earl of Ormond, known as the Black Earl, carried out an unmerciful raid on the Dingle peninsula.  His object was to terrorize the inhabitants and ensure that no local help of any kind would be forthcoming for the invaders.  The Black Earl spared no one – neither man, woman, child nor beast.  (Hooker’s Chronicle 1580)   This was the third burning of the town of Dingle during the period of the Desmond Rebellion.  The rebellion ended with the death of the Earl Gearoid in Ballymacelligott, in 1583.   There followed widespread confiscations and redistribution of the land traditionally owned by the Desmonds.  [ Back To Top ]  THE DINGLE CHARTER AND THE WALLS OF DINGLE After the Desmond Rebellion and the Massacre at Dún an Óir, Queen Elizabeth agreed to grant Dingle a Charter and to make it a walled town.  Dingle was the first town in Kerry to be granted a charter and the only town in the County that was ever walled.   The charter allowed the town to set up a corporation, and to elect administrators of justice and public order.  The corporation was overseen by the Sovereign of Dingle.  The jurisdiction of the Sovereign and Corporation comprised “a circle of two Irish miles by land and sea from the parish church”, - and the admiralty jurisdiction extended “as far as an arrow will fly from the harbours of Dingle, Ventry and Ferriter’s Creek”  [ Back To Top ] REBUILDING DINGLE AND THE LINEN TRADE Dingle’s age of greatest importance was undoubtedly the sixteenth century.   However, it was also its time of greatest hardship.  In the course of the Desmond wars it was burned, plundered and razed several times.  Its once prosperous trade slumped to near extinction.  In 1611 it is recorded that “This town of Dingle is a poor ruined place, lies far remote from any part of the Kingdom and therefore there is little trade except fishing of hake which is in great abundance”.   The Irish rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian wars again hit the economy of Dingle very hard.  It was only in the early decades of the eighteenth century that trade in and out of Dingle harbour again began to assert itself.  Wine merchants began to sail their wine boats once again, between Dingle and the continent.   Prominent among these prosperous merchants was Thomas Rice, Count of the Holy Roman Empire, known locally as Black Tom.  His son played a leading part in the plan to rescue Marie Antoinette. In the middle of this century, Robert Fitzgerald introduced the linen trade to Dingle.   He imported large quantities of flax seed, distributed it generously and obtained grants from the Linen Board.  The project was an instant success and remained so for the following forty years.   However, the trade dramatically declined with the introduction of cotton, and by the year 1837 was almost extinct. [ Back To Top ]  MARIE ANTOINETTE AND DINGLE James Louis Rice was the son of Black Tom Rice.  They were prosperous wine traders and merchants with extensive links between France and Spain.  His ancestral home is The Rice House, which was formerly the Old Presbytery, it stands on the corner of Goat Street and Green Street.  James Louis was educated in Belgium and joined the Austrian army.  He became an intimate friend of Emperor Joseph 11 of Austria.  The Emperor granted him and his father Black Tom, the Title; Count of the Holy Empire.   Marie Antoinette, the queen of France was the Emperor’s sister.  When the French Revolution exploded, she, the King and their two surviving children, were imprisoned in the Temple, in Paris.  Rice and his helpers formed a plan for her escape.  They managed to bribe some of the gaolers to co-operate with them, and they had relays of horses ready to take the Queen to the coast where Count James Louis had one of his father’s wine ships waiting to take her to Dingle, where rooms had been prepared for her at Rice House.  At the last moment however, Marie Antoinette hesitated and refused to abandon her husband the king and her children at the Temple, and so, she remained.  [ Back To Top ] DINGLE AND THE GREAT FAMINE The great famine of Ireland struck as a result of the failure of the potato crop in the autumn of 1845.  The Dingle peninsula was not exempt from the horrors that accompanied it.  In the town and district, relief was provided by the Sisters of the Presentation Convent and other voluntary bodies, but much more than their efforts was needed in this major crisis.  Government aid was of the greatest urgency.  The Dingle Relief Committee was set up in December 1845.  Fr. Daniel Healy, the Parish Priest of Ballyferriter reported to the committee that from one half to two thirds of the potatoes were totally unfit for human consumption.  “I have gone about from village to village, and I have seen with my own eyes the deplorable loss suffered…There are up to 2000 souls in the parish who have no food but the infected potato.  There’s no fish even this year in this district, so that the most fearful consequences are to be dreaded unless timely relief is given….” A letter was sent to the Lord Lieutenant emphasizing the urgency of the situation in Dingle and the surrounding districts, appealing for the release of supplies held in Government stores to be transferred to Dingle.  The letter stated that potato supplies would not stretch beyond the middle of April and that disease was rampant. The Kerry Examiner of 8th February 1847 records “The State of the people in Dingle is horrifying.  Fever, famine and dysentery are daily increasing, deaths from hunger daily occurring… From all parts of the country they crowd into the town for relief and not a pound of meal is to be had in the wretched town for any price”. In 1852 the workhouse was finally built and ready for occupation.  6068 people were housed or given aid by the workhouse in that year. [ Back To Top ] THE LAND LEAGUE In the 1880s many families in West Kerry lived under the burden of excessive rents and the threat of eviction.  In April 1885, Lord Ventry evicted twelve families from their homes in Castlegegory. Some families in desperation for a place of shelter went back to their homes and were then prosecuted for taking “unlawful possession of the property”.  A public meeting was called in Dingle and was held in the open air, directly in front of the Temperance Hall.   The outcome of that meeting was the setting up of a Dingle branch of The Land League.  The League was working throughout the country to improve the lot of the Irish farmer. [ Back To Top ] THE DINGLE RAILWAY In 1888 work began on building a railway line from Tralee to Dingle.  It took three years to build the line.  The thirty one miles to Dingle and the six miles of branch line to Castlegregory were completed in March 1891.  Dingle had become the most westerly railway terminus in Europe.   In 1925 the railway was taken over by The Great Southern Railway.   The line however was not paying its way, and on 26th June 1953, the last cattle train left Dingle station for Tralee.  [ Back To Top ] THE MARKET HOUSE TEMPERANCE SOCIETY   Fr. Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance, held an open-air meeting at The Grove, Dingle in 1840.  This resulted in a Temperance Society being formed. Mr. John Hickson, the last Sovereign of Dingle, placed at the disposal of the newly formed Temperance Society the room in Market House where the corporation held its meetings.  The Society became know as The Market House Temperance Society.  In 1842, Lord Cork granted a site for the erection of a Temperance Hall on part of the site of the old castle of the Knight of Kerry.  The Temperance Hall still serves a useful purpose in the town today.  The society formed a Brass and Reed band, which practiced in the Hall, and was a spectacular feature of Dingle life for the following fifty years.  It paraded the town on all important occasions and played in the church every year, on Saint Patrick’s morning and on Christmas morning.   [ Back To Top ] THE FIFE AND DRUM BAND   In 1899 an ex coastguard officer, Joe Gorman returned from the Boer war and introduced the fife to Dingle.   The town musicians quickly mastered the new instruments and Dingle Fife and Drum Band soon became a feature of Dingle life.  For over a century, there has scarcely been any notable occasion in the life of the town, which has not been honoured by the appearance of the band. Year after year, the commemoration of St. Patrick’s Day in the town is ushered in, by the band parading the streets at 6a.m.  The band has been greatly involved in maintaining the traditional colourful wren day parades throughout the town on St. Stephens Day.  The New Year is also heralded in with a midnight parade led by the Fife and Drum. [ Back To Top ] DINGLE, TOURISM, RYAN’S DAUGHTER AND FUNGI Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the main source of income for the people of Dingle and the surrounding peninsula, remained fishing and farming.  In 1969 David Lean began filming Ryan’s Daughter.  A large proportion of the film budget was spent on location in Dingle.  The film showcased Dingle’s scenery to the world, and it was released at a time when wages were increasing and holidays and the “leisure market” was growing rapidly.  Dingle became a tourist destination.   Fungi the Dolphin arrived at Dingle harbour in 1984, and there he has remained attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to Dingle every year.    Farming and Fishing have dropped off significantly over the years, and Dingle now relies almost totally on Tourism. [ Back To Top ] DINGLE PLEBISCITE On the 28th of March 2005 the Irish Government abolished the name Dingle.   It was decreed that the name Dingle would no longer have “any legal force or effect” and was no longer permitted to be used in “Acts of Oireachtas, Statutory Declarations, on Land Registry and Ordinance Survey maps and on road and street signs erected by Local Authorities”.  The town became known and signposted solely as An Daingean .  The Dingle Plebiscite was held in 2006.  In 2011 legislation was brought in to recognise the resounding mandate (93% yes vote) from the people of Dingle to restore the town’s historic names, Dingle in English and Daingean Uí Chúis in Irish. 

Edited and adapted by Kate O’Connor.

[ Back To Top ]

Presentation Sisters’ Graveyard at Dingle, Ireland

The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary were founded by Nano Nagle in Cork in 1775. After some sisters of the P.B.V.M. order arrived in Dingle in 1829, they established a convent and school. This is their final resting place beneath a cooper beech tree called the Tree of Life. Notice the blooming white lilies. In Christianity, they represent purity, humility and devotion plus God’s restoration of those who have died. This is a small section of three large gardens surrounding the Díseart Institute and St. Mary’s Church on Green Street.

Presentation Convent Goat St, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland

• United States
• Rest of World
• Favorite Subjects
• Search All Locations
• Search by Keyword
• Email Sign Up
• About Encircle Photos
• Contact Encircle Photos

Finding holy well sites in Ireland and recording both religious practice and lore.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Tobar nano, díseart, dingle..

No comments:

Post a comment.

Sarah J. McCabe

Home » Blog » Díseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture (Ireland)

Díseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture (Ireland)

Seek out the stunning stained glass windows at the Díseart Institute of Irish Spirituality and Culture in Dingle, located in a chapel of the former Presentation Sisters’ convent.

A set of six windows created by Harry Clarke (1889-1931), Ireland’s famed stained glass artist, was installed in 1924 and illustrate the life of Christ.

I was surprised to learn while in Dingle (at Díseart? I’m afraid I don’t recall) that Dingle is a historic departure point for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. Checking a map, you can see that Santiago de Compostela at the tip of northern Spain is directly due south of Dingle, so it makes perfect sense. Dingle is also currently the terminus of the Kerry Camino which starts in Tralee.

The Díseart Centre has plenty more of interest to see (the Nano Nagle Murals, the Last Supper Fresco, the gardens and maze, the graveyard), but oh my those Harry Clarke windows. Here’s a video with more information and views.

Díseart Centre of Irish Spirituality and Culture is museum no. 82 in my #100museums challenge (see  100 Museums Challenge ).

In Praise of Presentation Convent Castleisland, 175 Years on

In October 1843, during a Repeal Banquet at the Rotunda, Daniel O’Connell spoke about ‘the growing spirit of religious observances, moral conduct, and practical piety’ that was distributing itself ‘throughout the land’:

I see it in the youthful females of Ireland, educated under the sacred care of the religious ladies who in every town of note throughout the kingdom with the exception, perhaps, of Ulster alone, are establishing convents where the female children are brought up in the observance and the knowledge of every virtue, and let me tell you, that when we begin by purifying those who are to be the sources of life and of education in future generations, we ensure a continuance of the virtues and best qualities of our countrymen. [1]

In Castleisland, the movement was embraced by Archdeacon O’Leary, parish priest of Castleisland, and a supporter of O’Connell. [2]   At the request of Archdeacon O’Leary, Mother Joseph Harnett, of the Harnett family of Sandville House, Castleisland, founded a convent in the town. [3]

Archdeacon O’Leary, parish priest of Castleisland from 1814 to 1866, was described as a charitable and compassionate gentleman. [4] On Wednesday 7 October 1846, he headed the throngs of people who gathered to witness the arrival of the Sisters:

It was ascertained that some religious ladies of the Presentation Order, from Bethlehem Convent, Limerick, were expected in the afternoon under the superintendence of Ms M J Harnett.  The immense multitude who filled the streets and lined the Limerick road to a considerable distance, were much disappointed on the arrival of the mail coach, these ladies not having succeeded in obtaining the whole inside for themselves.  About four o’clock, however, Mrs Harnett arrived, accompanied by Sisters M A Byrne and M J Vise, natives of Limerick, and Miss Walker, an English lady, a postulant. [5]

A report of the event underlined the generosity of the Harnett family of Sandville:

Ms Harnett, after an enclosure of twenty three years, returns with this little chosen band to occupy our new convent, built almost exclusively by the munificent donations of the members of her own family, to diffuse the blessings of a moral and religious education among the poor of her native town and its vicinity. [6]

Indeed, the generosity of this family extended beyond the bounds of donations for building. In the same year, they procured 36 tons of Indian meal from Liverpool to feed the starving during the Famine. [7]

Presentation Convent 2021

One hundred and seventy five years have passed since the Sisters of the Presentation Order were so enthusiastically received in the town of Castleisland during one of the hardest years in Irish history.  They went on to become (and indeed remain) an intricate and beloved part of Castleisland life.

On 7 October 2021, the four remaining Sisters of Castleisland Convent will quietly mark the occasion in prayer.  Unlike the 150 th festivities of 1996, there will be no formal celebrations, but nonetheless their wonderful services to town and society for almost two centuries will be quietly and gratefully acknowledged in the hearts of the people of Castleisland.

In these, the twilight years of the Order in Castleisland, the Sisters have most generously contributed another gift to the townspeople.  In 2020, they opened their 175-year archive to Castleisland District Heritage and permitted the recording of documents dating back to the foundation of the Order.

It is the most precious of gifts for it will aid the historian to set down the social history of the period, and also provide valuable insight into generations of local families who remained in or left the shores of Ireland.

The Sisters of Castleisland – A Tribute by John Roche, Chairman, Castleisland District Heritage

On this, the first week of October 2021, we mark the 175th anniversary of the coming of the Presentation nuns to our town.  At the same time we are making preparations to say a final farewell to the last of these educators of the generations – about seven generations in all – who benefited from their dedication and commitment to their adopted home.

I would consider myself about the fifth of those generations, with my grandchildren just emerged from their excellent tutelage – though of course in recent times, as numbers in the convent declined, the actual teaching has fallen to excellent lay teachers.  The transition has been seamless and a tribute to all.

The first of these sisters came on this week in 1846 – Black 47, a period of abject misery, was just around the corner.  The local workhouse was bursting at the seams, and numbers of our ancestors being dumped daily into permanently unmarked graves.  Mother Harnett and her team immersed themselves in the task of alleviating the worst of that misery while providing a regular education system for the town and surrounding area.  Our parents, grandparents and great grandparents emerged far better equipped to take their place in the wide world as a result. They got a good grounding in the three Rs, plus for girls the skills most needed then for housekeeping – namely cooking, knitting, sewing, etc.

It’s easy now for a more ‘enlightened’ generation to dismiss the nuns’ contribution to the generations gone before in darker times.  Worse still, to link them to the excesses of industrial schools of the last century.  Of course most people have had bad experiences of their schooldays when corporal punishment was part and parcel of education.  I know of numerous examples of far worse punishment meted out in other schools in the locality.  It’s also worth noting that only in latter times did the government recognise them as teachers entitled to a teacher’s salary.

Very soon the last of these special members of our community will depart from Castleisland for good.  I hope they take with them our gratitude and good wishes for a herculean contribution to the advancement of our educational and social development over the last one and three quarters century.

Bon Voyage Sisters.

_________________________

Share this:

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on X (Opens in new window)

View Over 23,000 Historical Photos Available here

• Ireland by County
• Family & Business Names
• Combination Pictures

No images added to combinations, click the "Add Images" link below.

Presentation Convent, Dingle, Co. Kerry, Ireland, Old Irish Photograph, by Valentine, RK-00075

Tel: +353-1-457 8125 Mob: 086 172 5498 Email: [email protected]

Related products

Poyntzpass Coal Yard, Co. Armagh AR-00151

Scotch Street, Armagh, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland. old photograph. AR-00149

AR-00150 The Square, Poyntzpass, Co. Armagh, Northern Ireland. old Irish photograph showing Northern Bank

Tandragee And Gilford Railway Station, Tandragee, Co. Armagh AR-00155

BOX OFFICE: 087 1177710 [email protected]

An Díseart acts as the centre for a lively community giving expression to and promoting Celtic Culture and Spirituality as an integral part of our local heritage.

Housed in the former Presentation Convent premises in Dingle/Daingean Uí Chúis. Founded in 1998, An Díseart developed as a centre for research into all areas of Irish Spirituality and Celtic Culture including theology, language, literature, art, laws, folklore, values, spirituality, history, music, archaeology and customs led by the late Msgr Padraig Ó Fiannachta and associated with his valuable collection of manuscripts and books now housed in the Dingle Library.

Located in this peaceful haven on Green Street, Dingle, An Díseart occupies a neo-gothic building designed by JJ McCarthy. Described as “breathtaking”, “magnificent” and “a national treasure”, by some of its visitors, the building is home to a beautifully proportioned chapel in which can be found twelve lancet windows created in 1924 by one of the foremost stained glass artists of all time, Harry Clarke. The windows, along with the tranquil walled gardens, first laid out in 1849, have become a popular attraction for the many visitors in Dingle.

The Blasket Centre

With stunning views of the wild Atlantic coast and islands at the halfway point of the Slea Head Drive, the Blasket Centre is a fascinating heritage and cultural centre/ museum, honouring the unique community who lived on the remote Blasket Islands until their evacuation in 1953.

After re-opened on June 28th 2022 after a major refurbishment the centre offers a total transformation of the exhibitions to deliver an authentic, and imaginative re-telling of the story of the Blasket islands, their rich heritage and their literature which is of national and international significance.

Dingle Skellig Hotel

The Dingle Skellig Hotel was built on the site of the Coastguard Station in Dingle which was burned down in 1922. The hotel was newly constructed and first opened its doors on July 14th 1968, and was officially launched on September 25th 1968.

The Hotel was the first Gaeltacht Hotel to be built under a new policy the Department of the Gaeltacht introduced for the development of tourism in Gaeltacht areas. The grant support of the hotel stipulated the hiring of Irish speakers and the use of Irish in signage and advertising. Much of the advertising of the time for the hotel included the fact that the hotel was the first Irish speaking Grade A hotel in the Gaeltacht as well as being the only one of its kind in Ireland.

Beehive Studio

Beehive Studio, originally a TV studio, was converted in 2002 by Dingle’s Beehive Theatre Company into a black box performance venue. From this scenic location overlooking Dingle harbour, numerous professional and community based events encompassing theatre, music, dance and film, and conducted youth and adult training workshops covering all aspects of the performance arts, have been produced.

Founding Members

These are the names of the people making history. Like the pioneers they came first. They believed this project could launch from the very beginning. A big thanks to you all who made this festival possible.

Brenda Ní Shúilleabháin | Brian De Staic | Ciaran Crowe | Declan Noonan, Declan Noonan & Associates | Dingle Bay Hotel & Paudie’s Bar | Frank O’Connor, Solicitor | Gavin O’Grady, The Boatyard Restaurant & Bar | Gráinne Kavanagh, The Coachhouse | Greenmount House | Jerry O’Sullivan, Net Feasa | John Benny Moriarty’s Pub & Restaurant | Lily and Camilla, Eat Dingle | Mark Mc Loughlin | Mimi Pike | Niamh Ní Bhaoil, Aniar TV | Orla Gowen, Bácús Bakery | Patrick & Steve, Milltown House | Paul Geaney, Geaneys Pub | Paul Quinn, Quinn’s Pub | Robert Brosnan | Ros Hubbard, Hubbard Casting | Sarah Glaser | Seán Ó Cúaláin, Aniar TV | Sean O’Sullivan Accountant | Thomas Fitzgerald, P&T Fitzgerald Hardware | Tom and Colleen, Grace Herlihy | Tor Cottom | Peter McKay & Sheila O’Reilly

• Brenda Ní Shúilleabháin
• Brian De Staic
• Ciaran Crowe
• Declan Noonan, Declan Noonan & Associates
• Dingle Bay Hotel & Paudie’s Bar
• Frank O’Connor, Solicitor
• Gavin O’Grady, The Boatyard Restaurant & Bar
• Gráinne Kavanagh, The Coachhouse
• Greenmount House
• Jerry O’Sullivan, Net Feasa
• John Benny Moriarty’s Pub & Restaurant
• Lily and Camilla, Eat Dingle
• Mark Mc Loughlin
• Niamh Ní Bhaoil, Aniar TV
• Orla Gowen, Bácús Bakery
• Patrick & Steve, Milltown House
• Paul Geaney, Geaneys Pub
• Paul Quinn, Quinn’s Pub
• Robert Brosnan
• Ros Hubbard, Hubbard Casting
• Sarah Glaser
• Seán Ó Cúaláin, Aniar TV
• Sean O’Sullivan Accountant
• Thomas Fitzgerald, P&T Fitzgerald Hardware
• Tom and Colleen, Grace Herlihy

Stay in the Loop

Sign up to the Dingle Distillery International Film Festival newsletter and be the first to hear all the latest news and announcements

Dingle Distillery International Film Festival, The Dingle Hub, Cooleen Business Park Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland V92 P9NX Email: [email protected]

© Dingle Distillery International Film Festival • All Rights Reserved Site by Bright Idea

Dingle Distillery International Film Festival, The Dingle Hub, Cooleen Business Park Dingle, Co Kerry, Ireland V92 P9NX

Email: [email protected]

© Dingle Distillery International Film Festival • All Rights Reserved

Site by Bright Idea

Presentation Convent

Photos & videos, location & hours.

Suggest an edit

Dingle, Co. Kerry

Republic of Ireland

Recommended Reviews

Our Diocese

• Dates 2023/24
• Pilgrimages
• Pastoral Groups
• Communications
• Pastoral Centre
• Synodal Pathway
• Pastoral Plan

Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy

Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Lodge, Balloonagh, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 – 7126336 Fax: 066 – 7125901

Sisters of Mercy Holy Cross, Killarney, Co. Kerry Tel: 064 – 6631040 Primary School. Tel: 064 – 6631241

Suaineas, Woodlawn Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry. Tel: 064 – 6633660

Sisters of Mercy, 7 Arbutus Drive, Killarney, Co. Kerry Tel: 064 – 6637484

Sisters of Mercy, 21, The Grove, Mounthawk, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 7189029

Sisters of Mercy, St. Brigid’s Convent, Listowel, Co. Kerry Tel: 068 21557

Sisters of Mercy, 14 Brandon Place, Basin Road, Tralee, Co. Kerry. Tel: 066 – 7144997

Sisters of Mercy, 9-10 Carraig Li, Killerisk, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 7121281

Sisters of Mercy, Goodwin House, The Mall, Dingle, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 9151943

Sisters of Mercy, Aoibhneas, Mounthawk, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 7128056

Sisters of Mercy, 3 ,4 and 7 Siena Court Oakpark Tralee 066 7125900

Sisters of Mercy, Oakview village, Tralee Apart. 14,16 and 7.

Sisters of Mercy, Castlemaurice Orchard, Tralee

Sisters of Mercy, Carrigeencourt, Caherslea Tralee

Daughters of Mary and Joseph Gortamullen, Kenmare, Co. Kerry Tel: 064 – 6640755

Dominican Sisters (King William’s Town) Our Lady of Fatima Convent, Oakpark, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 – 7125641

Fatima Home: for retired laity, priests, sisters. Tel: 066 71215900

Siena Court: for the Active Retired Tel: 066 – 7125900

Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood St. Mary of the Angels, Whitefield, Beaufort, Killarney, co. Kerry Tel: 064 – 6644133 Residential training center and school for mentally handicapped children and Young adults.

St. Francis Educational and Development Day Centre for Children, 33 Market Street, Listowel, Co. Kerry Tel: 068 22211

Abhaile, Respite Centre 44 Ashfield, Grenville, Listowel, Co. Kerry

Saidhbhin Care, Day Centre for Children Reen Rusheen, Caherciveen, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 9473084

Infant Jesus Sisters Killarney road, Millstreet, Co. Cork Tel: 029 – 70143

Cluain Iosagain, St. Brendan’s Road, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 7121384

20 Blackrock, St. Brendan’s Rd, Tralee, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 7127974

Loreto (IBVM) Gortahoonig, Muckross, Killarney, Co. Kerry Tel: 064 – 6631077

Presentation Sisters

Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 – 7122128

Apt.1 Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 7181627

Apt.2 Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 7118539

Apt.3 Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 7122828

Apt.4 Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 7120641

Apt.5 Presentation Convent, Castle St. Tralee: 066 7121827

51 The Anchorage, Tralee: 066 7128579

48 Hawley Pk., Tralee: 066 7122111

20 Spring Well Gardens, Ballyard, Tralee: 066 7102862

7 Tamhnach Lí, Monavalley, Tralee: 066 7180800

8 Tamhnach Lí, Monavalley, Tralee: 066 7194174

9 Tamhnach Lí, Monavalley, Tralee: 066 7195312

9 Woodbrooke Manor, Monavaleey, Tralee: 066 7185454

Presentation Convent, New Street, Killarney:  064 6631172

Presentation Convent, Rathmore: 064 – 7758027

Teach na Toirbhirte, Miltown: 066 – 9767387

Presentation Convent, Lixnaw: 066 – 7132138

Castleisland

Presentation Convent, Castleisland: 066 7141256

Tigh na Féile, Ballygologue Road, Listowel:  068 – 21156

9 Beechgrove, Cahirdown, Listowel: 068 53951

Mail Road, Cahirdown, Listowel: 068 22500

20 Baile an Toirín, Killorglin: 087 2298591

15 St. Joseph’s Gardens, Millstreet: 029 71655

31 St. Joseph’s Gardens, Millstreet: 029 71627

St. Joseph of Annecy Sisters

St. Joseph’s Convent, Killorglin, Co. Kerry. Tel: 066 – 9761809 St. Joseph’s Home for the Aged, Killorglin, Co. Kerry Tel: 066 – 9761124 (H) Tel: 066 – 9761808 (Patients)

Hope, Act with Creation

Dr Niamh Brennan 

Thurs Sept 12th 7.30 pm

Chapel of the Sacred Heart

Díseart Visitor Centre

The harry clarke windows, the nano nagle room, last supper fresco, díseart gardens.

This page is also available in: Gaeilge ( Irish )

By continuing to use the Díseart website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy .