Castlegregory

Ireland, Ireland

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Castlegregory is a picturesque village on the north side of the Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, located halfway between Tralee and Dingle and known as the “Gold Coast” of the peninsula because it sits on one of Ireland’s longest beaches—a continuous 12-mile (20 km) stretch of golden sand that runs from the Maharees Peninsula through the village to near Cloghane.

The village is named after a 16th-century castle built by local chieftain Gregory Hoare, which was destroyed by Cromwell’s forces in the 1650s, with only an arch now remaining at the SPAR supermarket. Set at the foot of the sandy Maharees tombolo that separates Brandon Bay to the west from Tralee Bay to the east, Castlegregory offers spectacular seascapes, clean beaches, rugged coastline, and stunning views of Mount Brandon, Kerry Head and the Atlantic Ocean.

It serves as a great base for visitors with a tourist information office, local shops, cafés, a strong food scene and traditional Irish music in pubs, especially in summer, and is renowned for windsurfing, surfing, kitesurfing, diving, fishing, horseriding and a superb 9-hole links golf course set between Lough Gill and Brandon Bay.