Dingle Bay facts for kids
Dingle Bay is a beautiful bay in County Kerry, Ireland. Its name in Irish is Bá an Daingin.
This bay is in the west of Ireland. It's one of the most western spots on the main island. The town of Dingle is a harbour town. It sits on the north side of the bay.
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Exploring Dingle Bay
Dingle Bay stretches about 40 kilometers (25 miles) long. It goes from the northeast to the southwest. The bay opens up into the huge Atlantic Ocean.
At its narrowest point, the bay is about 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) wide. Where it meets the ocean, it spreads out to about 20 kilometers (12 miles) wide.
Land Around the Bay
The bay has land on both sides. To the north, you'll find the Dingle Peninsula. To the south, there's the Iveragh Peninsula. The River Maine flows into the bay at its inner end.
Many towns and villages are located near Dingle Bay. These include Ventry, Ballymeentrant, Beenbane, and Kinard. Also nearby are Annascaul and Glenbeigh. The town of Killorglin is at the very end of the bay. It's where the River Laune meets the bay.
Nature in the Bay
There are no big islands inside Dingle Bay. But some sandy areas, like Inch Strand, stretch far across the water. Part of the bay is a special protected area. It's a lowland estuary with flat areas of land that are covered and uncovered by tides.
On the south side of the bay, there's a bird sanctuary. This is a very important place for the red-billed chough to have its babies. This area has tall cliffs. Above the cliffs, you'll find grassy fields and heathland.
History of Dingle Bay
In the 1800s, Dingle Bay was full of fish. The people in Dingle were very good at fishing. This was partly thanks to a group called the "Society for bettering the condition of the poor of Ireland." They helped improve fishing along the coast of Kerry.
People said the bay had lots of pilchard, herring, cod, hake, and ling. Sometimes, boats even caught fish usually found in warmer places like the Mediterranean Sea, Portugal, and Spain!
Lindbergh's Famous Flight
Dingle Bay was the first part of Europe that Charles Lindbergh saw in 1927. He was an aviator, which means a pilot. He made a very important flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He flew for 33 hours from New York to Paris. His plane was called the Spirit of St. Louis.
This exciting moment was even shown in a movie! The 1957 film The Spirit of St. Louis shows Lindbergh flying over Dingle Bay. In the movie, Jimmy Stewart played Lindbergh. He waves to the people in Dingle Bay as he flies by, feeling very happy.
See also
In Spanish: Bahía de Dingle para niños
