The Notebook

The Long Evening of SummerNotebook No 133June 2026

Slea Head in June, when the light refuses to go

The Dingle Peninsula on a long evening, the Blaskets pink offshore, and the closest thing Ireland has to a summer miracle.

Collected by Deborah. Read her editorial perspective

We frequent the west of Ireland in June, during those weeks when the daylight hours extend beyond the ordinary. On the Dingle Peninsula, near Slea Head, the sun does not fully drop below the horizon until after ten at night. Complete darkness waits another hour. We consider this a singular experience within Ireland's summer.

Slea Head in June, when the light refuses to go

Slea Head in June

Leave Dingle town after your evening meal, not before it. The road ascends westward past Ventry, constricting above the sheer drops at Dunmore Head. Then it expands into the vista that captivates you. The Blasket Islands rest offshore like a small armada, the Atlantic shifting from silver to pewter to a muted rose, dictated by the cloud cover.

This is the event you seek. Go between the middle of June and early July, starting from Dingle at 8:30 PM with a warm layer. Make dinner reservations in town for ten, not eight. Go for the light.

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From the notebook

Editorial itineraries from Ireland.

Collected notes. A few times each season.