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" DINGLE, or DINGLE-I-COUCH, an incorporated sea-port, market, and post-town, formerly a parliamentary borough, and a parish, in the baromy of CORKAGUINEY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 22 miles (W.) from Tralee, and 173 miles (S.W. by W.) from Dublin; containing 6719 inhabitants, of which number, 4327 are in the town.
The parish contains 11,779 statute acres, as apploted under the tithe act, of which about one-fourth consists of coarse mountain pasture, partly reclaimable; there is a portion of bog, but not sufficient to supply the inhabitants with fuel. "
[From A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis (1837)]
"DINGLE is the only town in this barony. Queen Elizabeth incorporated it in 1585; and granted to it the same privileges which the town of Drogheda enjoyed, with a superiority over the harbours of Ventry, and Smerewick; and she gave the inhabitants £300 to wall the place. King James I renewed its privileges; and granted it a charter bearing the date 2 March in the fourth year of his reign, at Westminster. The Irish formerly called it Daingean ni Cushy, i.e. the fastness or castle of Hussey, an old English family, to whom one of the FitzGeralds, Earls of Desmond, had formerly granted a considerable tract of land in these parts.
Lime being scarce here, the town walls were built of clay mortar, and are gone much to decay. The town stands at the bottom of a small, but safe harbour, at the mouth of which, large vessels may ride secure.
Here is a barrack for a company of foot, and a tolerable good Saturday market. "
[From The Ancient and Present State of The County of Kerry by Charles Smith (1756)]
Kerry County Libraries
There is a Branch Library in Dingle, which has a good collection of local history books,
and a special selection of local items.
The old Dingle graveyard is in Main Street, and the Church of Ireland Church stands in it. The graveyard is overgrown, but a survey was made in 1986, and a plan with names found on inscriptions is in the church porch. The original data is retained at the offices of Oidhreacht Chorca Dhuibhne in Ballyferriter. The graveyard is no longer used.
There is another old graveyard at Raheenyhooig serving the detached portion of the parish on the Burnham Peninsula. This is most notable for containing the family vault of the Mullins family, Barons Ventry.
The modern cemetary is at Milltown, 2 kilometres west of the town.
There is also a small burial ground for the Presentation Sisters to the rear of the Convent on Green Street
Some of the former Parish Priests are buried next to St. Mary's Church.
There was also a graveyard behind the Christian Brothers Monastery on John Street, but the remains were removed to Milltown Cemetary in the mid 1990s.
Note: The Civil Parish of Dingle ceased to be used for census purposes in the mid nineteenth century when District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) were introduced.
Originally, the Parishes of Dingle, Kildrum and Garfinny were merged to form Dingle DED. By the time of the 1911 census the electoral division had been split: The town of Dingle comprises Dingle DED, while the Rural townlands are contained in the DED of Glin.
Dingle has both a Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Church.
Saint James' Church, Main Street (Church of Ireland) stands in the old town graveyard. The church was built in the early nineteenth century but the site is ancient.
Saint Mary's Church, Green Street (Roman Catholic). The Catholic Parish also includes Ventry, Garfinny, Kildrum, Kinard and Minard, and there are other churches at Lispole and Ventry.
The Church of Ireland parish registers date from 1707.
The Roman Catholic Registers for Dingle cover baptisms from 1825, and
marriages from 1821.
The registers remain in the custody of the parish priest,
although microfilm copies are at the National Archives of
Ireland. Written permission from the Bishop of Kerry is required
to view these records.
From 1863 Dingle was part of the Dingle Registration District, and the Registrar's
District of Dingle.
See the Registration Districts page.
Originally part of the Dingle DED, the parish was divided between Glin and Dingle
DEDs in the early twentieth century.
Dingle DED contains the Townlands of Dingle, Emlagh West, Farran, Farranflaherty, Farranakilla, Gortonora, The Grove and The Wood.
Glin DED contains the Townlands of Ballinasig, Ballyameenboght, Ballybeg, Ballycannen, Ballyeightragh, Ballyheabought, Ballymacadoyle, Ballymorereagh, Ballynabooly, Burnham East, Cappa, Carhoo East, Carhoo West, Cliddaun, Cloosmore, Commons of Dingle, Commons of Milltown, Cullenagh, Doonsheane, Emlagh East, Farranredmond, Glin North, Glin South, Killelane, Knockeen, Milltown, Monacappa, Mullenaglemig, Raheenyhooig, Reenbeg.