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Carl O'Flaherty is a native of Dingle, Kerry in Ireland. 


Raised in the family bar, O'Flaherty's Bar,  a renowned musical pub in the heart of Dingle, Carl never forgot the local characters and their wild tales. After enjoying a carefree childhood of rambling mountains, bogs and beaches, he graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in 1978. He settled in North County Dublin , and then spent nearly forty years at the chalkface, before retiring from teaching in 2018.

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Carl has always had a keen interest in local history, folklore, sport, nature and the Irish language, and would spend hours teaching the children in his classes songs, poems, stories and tales of his hometown. A late comer to writing, his first venture was titled 'Farewell to Killossery', released December 2009. This detailed the story of Rolestown NS School and it's past pupils of North Country Dublin.


Carl spent 35 years teaching in Rolestown NS (originally names Killossery National School, which began educating children in 1834). Rolestown is the community Carl was welcomed into when he left Dingle, and where he and his wife reared a family, so when the news came that the school was to be replaced by a state of the art new building, Carl began to talk to some of the older members of the parish about their memories of their early school life and posted notices locally inviting other contributors. Farewell to Killossery is a collection of stories from past pupils of the school, young and old alike, sharing their memories of their school days.


This was followed by his memoir, 'Dingle Before Fungi Came to Town', released in 2016, which recalls his time growing up in the family bar, stories of butchers, bakers, carpenters and tailors, and many more. This book not only offers a look into Carl's personal and often humorous experiences and outlook growing up, but also gives the reader an insight into what life was like growing up in rural Ireland during the 60's and 70's.

Carl recalls the great characters from yesteryear and many golden nuggets from the towns history. With chapter heading's including "Bottle Boy, Blind Lobsters & Barring Orders" and "Wrenboys, Strawboys, Salty Ling with White Sauce", you can be guaranteed to laugh your way through some of the pages, but also gain an understanding of what made places like Dingle and it's neighbouring towns so unique.
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Next came ‘Dingle People’. `Released in 2018, this book details the lives of the ordinary people that make up the community of Dingle; farmers, fishermen, families an friends, and includes over two hundred photographs, twenty full page photo compilations, and guides the reader to the heart of this historic, noble town and its people, spanning many generations.

Unlike his previous book, 'Dingle People' is from the perspective of the townspeople, and contains compiled biographies from over thirty Dingle residents, offering a social history of this magical area, and a record of our roots for many years and generations to come.
Carl has just published a further book relating to the social history of this area, 'Dingle, Lispole, Fionntrá/Ventry', which has been released in November 2023. It includes a compilation of sixty stories from the combined parishes of Dingle, Lispole and Ceann Tragha / Ventry. 


The stories contain biographies, genealogy, place names, historical and social events and in excess of four hundred photographs and will offer an insight into the people, culture and places which make Corca Dhuibhne one of the most historical, intriguing and mystical destinations in Ireland. 


Bí ag faire!

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