Dingle — An Fearann (tc An Daingean),an Gróbh,fearann Na Cille (tc An Daingean),fearann Uí Fhlaitheartaigh,gort Onóra,an Daingean

Situated on the S side of the peninsula, Dingle stands at the head of a large, natural harbour, protected from the prevailing winds by a ridge of high land running W-E at the mouth of the bay. The town is built on elevated ground which slopes E to a small river and S to the harbour and it is bounded on the landward side by a crescent of ridges and rising mountains. Even today, Dingle is relatively isolated from major population centres and it is undoubtedly to its possession of a sheltered harbour that the town owes its prosperity in bygone days. (See KE043-224001- to KE043-224039- for individual monuments within the town). The historic town of Dingle was described in the Urban Survey of Kerry as follows; ‘Dingle is a small coastal town located at the junction off a small valley with Dingle harbour on the south side of the mountainous Dingle peninsula. The placename is a corruption of 'An Daingean', the fort or stronghold, but the origin of this name is unclear. There is also a great deal of uncertainty over the fuller form, now generally rendered 'Daingean Ui Chuis', after references in AFM sub anno 1579 and 1580. O'Donovan (1983, 113) translated this as “the fastness of O'Cuis or O'Hussey". The Hussey family were connected with the town in the sixteenth century ( Hogan 1878, 192 fn. h, 282) but the earliest contemporary record of the extended name form occurs in 1322 as "Dengenyhonysh" which predates the known Hussey connection (PRO 1910, 160). The Ui Cuis family are otherwise unknown. There is no evidence of any significant pre-Norman settlement at Dingle and it seems likely that the town was an Anglo-Norman foundation on virgin ground. The main reason for the town’s existence was its function as a sea-port but it was also an administrative centre. Nonetheless its origins are obscure. It appears in the early fourteenth century as the manorial centre of the cantred of 'Osurres' (Aes Irruis), which was held by Thomas de Clare, and therefore it may be assumed that it was included in the grant of the cantred of ‘Ossurys’ to Robert son of Geoffrey de Marisco c. 1216 (Orpen 1911-20, iii, 133; Otway Ruthven 1968, 87). Robert's daughter, Christiania, sold the cantred to Sir Maurice FitzMaurice later in the thirteenth century (Brooks 1931-2 65, n. 104). In 1289-90 Sir Maurice FitzMaurice demised the manor of Killorglin to Thomas de Clare (Sweetman 1875-86, iii, no. 1028) and it may be assumed that Dingle came into their hands around the same time. In 1322 an inquisition noted that Thomas de Clare had his capital messuage of the cantred of “Osurres" as well as courts of free tenants and of the hundred at ‘Dengenyhonysh’ (PRO 1910, 160). Dingle is not mentioned, however, in the earlier documents relating to Ossurys which may perhaps indicate that it as not yet in existence. It is first mentioned in customs returns of 1278-9 (Sweetman 1875-86, iv, 415), which is clear evidence that the port was functioning. In 1299 the villata, or men of the vill of ‘Dengen' were fined for the escape of Walter Laundrey (Sweetman 1875-86 i PP. 294, 314) which suggests the existence by that time of a structured community. It is likely that Dingle's main function at this period was as a port. In 1278-9 Perceval of Lucca and his associates accounted for 12 new custom received on the king' s behalf from merchants leaving the port of Dingle (Sweetman 1875-86 ii, P.415). Otway-Ruthven (1968, 123) and Graham (1977, 41) point out that the ports of Dingle and Tralee were important enough in the late thirteenth and fourteenth centuries to be centres in which customs were collected and although probably never more than a minor port, Dingle was apparently engaged in steady trade during this Period. In 1316 Dingle was burned by Diarmait MacCarthaig, chief of Desmumu (AI) and the effects of this were noted in the 1322 inquisition which described de Clare's capital messuage as unbuilt and stated that many free tenants had withdrawn because of the war (PRO 1910, 160). The Mac Carthaig again raided Corca Dhuibhne in 1398 and plundered it beyond the town of Dingle and the country from that on (Ó hInnse 1947,111) although it is not clear if the town itself was burned on this occasion or not. In spite of these unsettled conditions, however Dingle survived and continued both in its Commercial and administrative functions. Royal Customs officials were assigned there in 1334 and 1395 while in 1461 it was proposed to make a grant to William, Lord de Bary, from the customs and cocket of Dingle (44 RDKPRI, 51-2; Tresham 1828, 52 no 44 p269 no 68). In 1485 there is a record of the seneschal of the liberty of Kerry holding assizes at Dingle (Brewer and Bullen 1871, 377). During the late sixteenth century Dingle became quite closely involved in political developments in Kerry because of its strategic importance. In 1569 it attracted government interest when it was proposed to wall the town in order to curb the power of the earl of Desmond and of Mac Carthaig (Brewer and Bullen 1867, 396). In 1570 Dingle was apparently occupied for a time by a French force during the rebellion of James FitzMaurice (Hamilton 1860, 435) and in 1571 Sir John Perrot, president of Munster, noted "six of James FitzMaurices men killed at the Dingle when he went there to take the great ordnance" (Hamilton 1860, 457). In his renewed campaign of 1579, FitzMaurice landed at Dingle with six Spanish ships and subsequently burned the town (Hamilton 1867 173-4). Contemporary reports described Dingle in the aftermath as whol1y sacked", "razed" and "broken” (Hamilton 1867,197,216; Brewer and Bullen 1868, 214). In 1580 Sir William Pelham noted that Dingle had been largely abandoned by its inhabitants and urged Sir William Winter to encourage them especially the fishermen and merchants, to return to the town (Brewer and Bullen 1868, 254). At the end of that year, after the massacre of Dún an Óir, there were 450 English soldiers in Dingle (Hamilton 1867, 273) and by 1582 Sir Henry Wallop the Vice Treasurer noted that “Dingle is now inhabited and should be entered in the schedule concerning imposts on wine (Hamilton 1867, 387). By this date a permanent ward of thirty soldiers was stationed there (Curtis1933-43, 322; Hamilton 1867, 405). Later that year, however, Dingle was besieged by the earl of Desmond and the baron of Lixnaw, but they were forced to lift the siege apparently after a sally by the soldiers and townsmen, with Sir Thomas Norrey's marching to the town’s relief (Hamilton 1867, 419). An English traveller’s account of 1589, apparently referring to the 1582 siege, noted that “the castle and all the houses in the Towne, save four, were won, burnt, and ruinated by the Erle of Desmond. These foure houses fortified themselves against him and withstood him and all his power perforce, so as he could not winne them” (Hitchcock 1852-3,140). The defeat and death of the earl of Desmond in 1583 marked a turning point in Dingle's history with the establishment of English control there. This was reflected in a proposal of 1585 to grant a charter of incorporation to the town, in order to promote the restoration of their ruinous and decayed estate, through the late rebellion there" (Morrin 1862, 105 15 RDKPRI, 144-5 no. 4816). It seems, however, that the charter was not actually granted until 1606 (Hitchcock 1852-3 134; Cusack 1871 appendix v; Weinbaum 1943, 204). References to the portreeve or provost of Dingle in 1579 and 1584, however, indicate that the town was incorporated before the 1585 Proposal (Hamilton 1867, 173; PRO 1881, 1). Further disruption occurred in 1598 when James FitzThomas, the 'sugan' earl of Desmond, landed at Dingle with 2000 Spaniards and the town surrendered to him (Atkinson 1895, 487, 400). Lewis (1837, i, 460) makes the otherwise unsupported claim that the town was burned at this time. In 1645 Dingle was pillaged and burnt by the parliamentarian, Capt. Robert Moulton, with 700 soldi