Visiting Dingle in May: Colour, Costumes & the Magic of the Blasket Islands 

Picture a small Irish town, streets filled with children in the most incredible handmade costumes, music in the air, colour everywhere. That’s how May begins in Dingle and if you’re looking for things to do, it only gets better from there. 

Féile na Bealtaine — where May really begins 

Féile na Bealtaine runs from the 30th of April through to the 4th of May, and if you happen to be in Dingle for it, you’re in for something truly special. The festival was started by local doctor Micheál Fanning with a beautifully simple idea, to bring the community together in creativity and joy. It worked, and it’s been growing ever since. 

The weeks leading up to it, school children pour their hearts into making the most extraordinary costumes. And when the day comes, the whole town spills out onto the streets, colour, laughter, music, and a community spirit that you genuinely must witness to understand. It’s joyful in the truest sense of the word. It’s also completely unique to Dingle, and that’s what makes it so magical. 

A few days later, on the 9th of May, Darkness Into Light takes the town in a quieter, more reflective direction. Locals gather in the early hours and walk together as a symbol of hope and solidarity. It’s one of those moments that reminds you just how warm and close knit Dingle really is. 

Out on the water — seals, dolphins & the Blasket Islands

While the town is alive with festival energy, something equally beautiful is happening out on Dingle Bay. May is one of the finest months to be on the water, and the Great Blasket Island is a big reason why. 

The island is home to one of Ireland’s largest grey seal colonies, often called the grey seal capital of Ireland and in May they are wonderfully visible. You’ll find them hauling out on the famous white sandy beach, completely at ease, basking in the May sunshine. From the water, you’ll often see them pop their curious heads up to have a look, it never gets old. 

From the boat, you can also see the ruins of the island’s abandoned village along the hillside, a place full of history, wildness, and quiet character. Dolphins are a regular presence in the bay too, and as the season gets underway, there’s always the chance of spotting a basking shark or minke whale. 

Our Dingle Dolphin Blasket Adventure and Mini Eco Tour are both running through May, and they’re a beautiful way to experience the bay, the cliffs, the coastline, and the wildlife, safely and respectfully. 

The peninsula in full bloom 

By May, the Dingle Peninsula is alive with colour. The cliffs and fields are painted in yellows, purples, and pinks, with gorse blazing vivid and fragrant against the Atlantic. It’s the kind of scenery that stops you in your tracks, fresh, full of energy, and so very beautiful. 

Take a walk out to Slaudeen, bring a picnic, sit among the wildflowers, and just breathe it all in. Leave no trace, of course, this place deserves to stay exactly as it is. 

A few local tips for May 

If you’re here for Féile na Bealtaine, soak up every single bit of it, the costumes, the atmosphere, the community spirit. It’s one of those things you’ll still be talking about long after you leave Dingle. 

Grab a coffee from one of Dingle’s brilliant local cafés and watch the town ease into the day. The evenings are getting longer, and the light at the end of the day is something else entirely, golden, soft, and very hard to leave. 

May in Dingle feels like the whole world has just woken up and decided to be beautiful. Come and see it for yourself. 

Book your boat trip 

Seeing the Great Blasket Island and its grey seal colony from the water is one of the highlights of any visit to Dingle. 

The Dingle Dolphin Blasket Adventure takes you out towards the Blasket Islands, where this incredible seal colony can be seen, along with the dramatic coastline and rich wildlife of Dingle Bay. 

Our Mini Eco Tour is a shorter trip exploring the local bay and coastline, a lovely way to experience Dingle from the water.