When big Hollywood stars visit the Emerald Isle, The Kingdom County Kerry is usually one of the top destinations on their visit list.
County Kerry, aka The Kingdom, is famous for its spectacular landscapes, like the Ring of Kerry, Killarney National Park, and the Dingle Peninsula, to name a few.
It’s also the county that has given the world some of Ireland’s most famous faces.
For example, Oscar winning actor Jessie Buckley, the founding father of Irish nationalism, also known as ‘The Leader’, Daniel O’Connell, Gaelic football legend Mick O’Dwyer, and many more influential Irish people.
It’s a mighty county filled with great people, great landscapes, and even better pubs, one of which is strongly favoured by visiting Hollywood stars.
The Kerry Pub that attracts Hollywood stardom – a Hall of Fame of famous visitors
Dick Mack’s is certainly one of the best pubs in Kerry, and perhaps one of the most well-known pubs in Ireland.
Opened in 1899, Dick Mack’s has remained in the same family since opening, and interestingly, while one half of the bar operates as a traditional pub, the other is used as a functioning leather shop making leather belts.
A watering hole frequented by locals and visitors alike, no trip to Dingle is complete without sipping a pint of Guinness or two in Dick Mack’s.
It’s one of the most photographed pubs in the country due to its lovely facade and quirky interior.
The same can be said for celebrity visitors. From Julia Roberts to Sean Connery, Dolly Parton to Christy Moore – the pub has welcomed some of the best known faces from all over the world.
Dick Mack’s Walk of Fame – who has visited this historic pub?
Famous visitors to Dick Mack’s have come from far and wide. Famous Irish folks, like singer Christy Moore and Gaelic football legend Páidí Ó Sé, are among the stars on the Walk of Fame who have visited.
International stars like Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, and Robert Mitchum also feature. Mitchum was said to have visited the pub while filming the movie Ryan’s Daughter, filmed in places like Inch Beach, in the late 60s.
More recently, singer Garth Brooks and singer/DJ Fred Again visited Dick Mack’s and even performed for the crowd. Although we can’t confirm it, it’s said that Dolly Parton also gave an impromptu performance when she visited the pub!
Dick Mack’s in Dingle has such an appeal for Hollywood stars that in fact a Walk of Fame was created on the pavement outside the pub to outline each big name that had visited the pub.
Just like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, Dick Mack’s has paved squares (rather than stars) detailing the names of famous visitors.
Not just Hollywood A-listers who have visited – important people that you may not know
While it’s always very exciting when a big Hollywood celeb visits somewhere small and quaint in Ireland, Dick Mack’s has welcomed some hugely important characters that the whole world may not know.
Irishman Thomas Crean was an Antarctic explorer with an incredible story. He was part of three major expeditions to Antarctica during the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.
This included Robert Scott Falcon’s Terra Nova Expedition, which resulted in the deaths of Scott and his party as they raced to reach the South Pole.
Heroically during the expedition, Crean had to endure a 35 mile (56 km) solo walk across the Ross Ice Shelf to save the life of fellow explorer Edward Evans. As a result, he won the Albert Medal for Lifesaving.
It just goes to show you, you never know who you might meet if you pay a visit to Dick Mack’s in Dingle.
