Eask Tower - Kilmalkedar - Reenconnell

A nice easy day taking in two of the lesser hills in the Dingle Peninsula

Eask Tower

Started the day at Eask Tower atop Carhoo Hill overlooking Dingle Bay. Room for a few cars at the bottom of the hill with a small hut at the gate showing a €2 per person charge. There was no one there going up, which was early, or indeed coming down. Either way no problem with dropping in the €2, surprised i actually had the change as its all cashless now almost.

Its only about 1km to the top and is well signposted. It was a bit wet on the day i went which was grand as i’d the hiking gear on anyway, but if you were going up in sneakers and jeans you’d have gotten a bit muddy and wet.

The views from the top were pretty great to be honest. You get a full view all the way from the Blaskets (just about, it was hazy) across the Peninsula all the way up to the Slieve Mish Mountains.

The tower itself is an unusual structure to say the least. It was built in 1847 in order to guide the ships and boats into the mouth of the blind harbour. Wikipedia

Eask Tower

The final approach to the Tower

Looking Up.

Theres a plane up there…

Another View

Dropped down a bit to get this

The area around the tower is just as nice

Sea Cliffs

I’m sure this has a name, i dont know what it is…

Blue Sea

Walls around the Tower

a few nicemsmall walls around the place, trying something different with the DOF here

Bulls Head

Once i saw this view, i knew i’d to go there. So i did, the following week.

Rainbow Over Dingle

Kilmalkedar

Anyone that knows me, knows churches aren’t really my thing. I’ll make an exception for this. It’s really old, has a good info board detailing the history and is just overall a really cool building with some interesting carvings and details around it. It’s beside an active graveyard so please be mindful. I met an old man and his son going in to visit, a moment of reflection was had..

Kilmalkedar Church

The stone of the church was very colourful, none the less, i fell the black and white works well.

Crosses

The big cross is very impressive and unusual in that it seems center weighted

Reenconnell

Just outside the church you join the Cosán na Naomh, The Saints Road. I was heading for Reenconnell. Its well signposted as you work your way up hill walking thru fields with sheep and surrounded by low stone walls. You see the walls all around the peninsula but its not often you get to walk thru the fields like this. It was really nice and relaxing. Up near the top of the col, i’m pushed to call it a coll, you turn right and make you way up thru some heather and furze. Reenconnell is a non descript flat top, but the views afforded are rather excellent. My main attention was towards Brandon but you can see all around, although some views, such as towards the Three Sisters are somewhat interrupted. Either way, for little enough effort its worth the hike. It is a level up from the Eask Trip and is a good bit more rural and was quiet wet near the top. Another one ticked off my list.

Brandon from Reenconnell

One small bit of trivia : the end of the video on YouTube.
The view out of the window was actually at the Gallarus Oratory. That cow obviously knew someone was in there as he moo’d (?), it was obvioulsy looking for pets. It was just a funny end to the day.

Overall a very enjoyable day and not too strenous.

Thanks for reading
Ed