www.dingle-peninsula.ie

The Phoenix Restaurant in Keel Castlemaine has started an innovative free lunch movement.

The idea started as a response to the age old cliché 'there is no such thing as a free lunch'. Oh yes there is and it takes place on Mondays at 1.15pm at the Phoenix. It's a fantastic buffet of dips and vegetarian pates, garden fresh salads and home made organic produce from the award winning Phoenix Restaurant. What's happening is people are coming together, connecting, networking and showcasing themselves.

This week lunch was accompanied by passionate piano and viola tango pieces by the Café Jazz Group, two local puppeteers met for the first time, and several neighbours who had never tried a pineapple and puy lentil salad flavoured with fresh chilli and coriander enjoyed the unique food, company and music at ease in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Life is not all about making money it is about fun, friendly faces good food and conversation and above all enjoyment. Let's see where this movement goes and who it picks up on the way, join us, drop in and enjoy.

Dingle's Castlewood House has won an award for "Best Service" as one of Europe's top ten guesthouses.

The award, based on traveller reviews at the website tripadvisor.com, follows Castlewood's awards from the Bridgestone Best in Ireland Guide.

• Read the traveller reviews of Castlewood House at tripavisor.com.
• Read The Kerryman's report.

"Tales from the Little Wooden House under the Mountain"

Set on the Dingle Peninsula in the the West of Ireland, read about the adventures of young Maeve.

"This book sort of just happened to me. I didn't mean to write it", says first-time author Johanna Byrne. "Led by my mother, storytelling was a big activity on rainy days and round the campfire in the summer holidays when I was a child.

The Dingle Peninsula was a place we all came to know and love over the years of visiting, winter and summer. It was on a trip there a few years ago, that the idea for the story came into my head. Once started, it seemed to write itself. Then, an artist friend, based in the Shetland Islands (another place close to my heart), created the lovely drawings that complement the story so beautifully. Storytelling greatly enriched my childhood and my life.

I hope this book shares some of that richness and opens windows in the imaginations of the children (and parents) who read it".

Book & CD available from:
The Dingle Bookshop, Green Street,
and Leac A' Ré, Strand Street,
Dingle
Price EUR 10

Element Pictures Distribution and Venom Films are delighted to announce the arrival of the multi award-winning feature His & Hers to the Phoenix Cinema, Dingle. His & Hers is a cinematic mosaic that tells a 90-year-old love story through the collective voice of 70 women at different stages in their lives.

The hallways, living rooms, and kitchens of the Irish midlands become the canvas for the film's rich tapestry of female characters. The story unfolds sequentially from young to old, and the characters are charmingly unabashed; while the younger contributors are animated in discussing their relationships with their other halves, the older women describe their love, and often their bereft love, with grace and candour.

His & Hers celebrates the ordinary moments that add up to the extraordinary. Individually each piece works on its own, but together they create an emotional portrait that explores the way we share life's journey with others.

Due to unprecedented the demand for His & Hers in the County of Kerry, the film will be screened in the Phoenix Cinema, Dingle on the 10th, 11th and 12th August.

Tickets are available from www.phoenixdingle.net

For further information please contact Gale Wilson.
gale@elementpictures.ie
01- 618 5032

"The fact that you sit on sugán chairs at The Chart House gives you some idea of how homely and Irish this restaurant really is. This is, in a sense, the heart of Dingle where the local produce is really seafood. It is a restaurant that is designed to have a wide appeal while never losing sight of good cooking. Away from the sea you can expect local black pudding from Annasaul and the Kerry lamb that alwys seems to have its own flavour, that possibly comes from all that heather that grows so abundantly in the hills and mountains outside the town.

This is an honest place that does honest food, the sort of establishment to which you will wish to return time and time again."

Mount Brandon has been included in the "Irish Times" ''Book of Irish Walks'', a collection of the best walking routes in the country, chosen by contributors to the paper's travel supplement.

The author of the article on the Dingle Peninsula walk, Harry McGee, stated that walkers experience "the amazing phenomenon of feeling you are standing on the top of the sea."

• Dingle, Ireland, called "most beautiful place on Earth" by National Geographic
• Travellers can escape summer crowds by traveling to Dingle Peninsula during winter months
• Cottage rentals are cheaper in winter, and periods are more flexible
• Winter temperatures in western Ireland average 46 degrees F (7 Celsius)

Dingle was chosen as a best destination in the Top 100 World and Top 25 Europe categories by TripAdvisor® in the 2008 Travelers' Choice® Destinations Awards.
In its inaugural year, the TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards honor the world's top destinations, earning their distinction from those who know them best - real travelers.

Only TripAdvisor's Destinations Awards represent the opinions of millions of travelers.
The winners were determined by a combination of TripAdvisor's travelers' favorite places and overall popularity on TripAdvisor.

"Whether it's for their unique beauty, or abundance of attractions, the 2008 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards honor the most beloved destinations from around the world," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor. "Determined by millions of travelers, the Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards are unique because they single out not just popular places but truly exceptional places that enthrall travelers and keep them coming back."

For reviews on the Dingle Peninsula, go to this page

For the complete 2008 Travelers' Choice list, go to www.tripadvisor.com/TCDestinations