Dingle is the most westerly town in Europe - and has a long history. References date back to the 13th century, though the name Daingean Uí Chúis (Hussey´s Stronghold) suggests a pre-Norman settlement. In mediaeval times the harbour was where pilgrims embarked for the grave of St James at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. So important was the pilgrimage that the Spanish are said to have built the first church on the site of the present St James´s church (called after the Spanish patron) in Main Street. The town was burnt in 1316 by the Diarmuid MacCarthaigh, an Irish chieftain, but was later rebuilt. Today it is a thriving fishing port and the hub of the peninsula´s tourist industry.