On the westerly tip of the Dingle Peninsula, this visitor center is dedicated to the remote Blasket Islands. The largest of the islands, Great Blasket, was once an outpost of Irish civilization and a nurturing ground for Irish-language writers, but its inhabitants abandoned the island in 1953. The center explains in interesting style the cultural and literary traditions of the Blaskets and the history of Corca Dhuibhne, the Gaeltacht area. There's a bookshop specializing in local literature, and a handy cafe with views of the Blaskets. The Blasket Island Ferry (tel. 086/335-3805) charges €20 to €35 round-trip to the islands (depending on when you go), or €40 including an "eco-marine adventure tour," on which you could spot anything from puffins and terns to dolphins and even, or so we're told, whales. You can catch the ferry at the harbor in Dunquin; sailings are hourly from 10am and 5pm.