Murphys Ice Cream began in Dingle in 2000 and has grown from a small local business into one of Ireland’s most recognisable independent ice cream brands. Despite that growth, its identity is still closely connected with the town where it started.
The ice cream is made in Dingle using ingredients such as fresh milk, local cream, free-range eggs and organic sugar, while some of its best-known flavours draw directly on Irish food traditions and the landscape around the Dingle Peninsula.
Irish Brown Bread goes into the ice cream. Sea salt is made from Atlantic water collected near Dingle. Dingle Gin has even found its way into a flavour.
That connection with place is what makes Murphys more interesting than simply being somewhere to buy an ice cream.
How Murphys Ice Cream Started in Dingle
Murphys was founded in Dingle in 2000 by brothers Seán and Kieran Murphy.
From the beginning, the idea was to make ice cream using real ingredients rather than relying heavily on manufactured flavourings and additives.
More than two decades later, Murphys has shops in several Irish cities and towns, but its ice cream continues to be made in Dingle. The company still describes itself first and foremost as Handmade in Dingle.
For visitors, that makes the original Dingle shop more than another branch of a national food business.
This is where the story began.
What Makes Murphys Ice Cream Different?
Murphys’ approach is based around using recognisable ingredients and doing more of the preparation themselves.
The company says it does not use artificial colourings, flavourings or powdered milk. Instead, its ice cream starts with fresh milk, local cream, free-range eggs and organic sugar.
Ingredients are then toasted, baked, simmered, infused or otherwise prepared depending on the flavour being made.
Murphys also says it uses milk from the Kerry cow, an old indigenous Irish cattle breed associated particularly strongly with County Kerry.
That local connection becomes even more apparent once you start looking at the flavours.
The Flavours That Tell the Murphys Story
There are plenty of familiar flavours available, but I think the most interesting way to experience Murphys for the first time is to try the flavours that you are unlikely to encounter in an ordinary ice cream shop.
Several of them have a very definite Irish or Dingle connection.
Irish Brown Bread
Brown bread may sound like an unlikely ice cream ingredient, but it has become one of Murphys’ signature flavours.
The company uses McCambridge brown bread and caramelises it slowly with muscovado sugar before incorporating it into the ice cream.
It works because the bread brings texture and a toasted, slightly malty character rather than simply making the ice cream taste like bread.
There is also something particularly appropriate about turning brown bread—one of the most familiar foods on an Irish table—into a distinctly Irish ice cream flavour.
Dingle Sea Salt
If I were introducing someone to Murphys for the first time, Dingle Sea Salt would be one of the flavours I would encourage them to sample.
Murphys makes the salt itself using Atlantic seawater collected at Bín Bán Beach near Dingle. The seawater is filtered and boiled down before the resulting salt is used in the ice cream.
It has become the company’s best-selling flavour.
The salt doesn’t simply make the ice cream salty. Used carefully, salt intensifies sweetness and gives the flavour a balance that is difficult to understand until you taste it.
It is also probably the clearest example of Murphys turning the landscape around Dingle into part of its product.
Dingle Gin Ice Cream
Murphys has also produced ice cream using gin from Dingle Distillery, another business that began in the town.
The combination makes an interesting connection between two modern Dingle food-and-drink businesses and shows how strongly Murphys has used Irish ingredients and local producers as inspiration for its flavours.
Availability can change, so I would never visit expecting one particular flavour to be in the cabinet.
Try what is there.
That is part of the experience.
More Than Traditional Flavours
Murphys is not limited to Irish-themed combinations.
Its current range includes flavours such as Honeycomb Caramel, Butterscotch, Smooth Chocolate and Kieran’s Cookies, alongside sorbets and other changing options.
The Raspberry Sorbet, for example, is made with raspberries and Irish spring water and is both dairy-free and vegan.
Chocolate Whiskey combines Teeling Whiskey with Valrhona cocoa, while the company’s butterscotch is made from scratch using muscovado sugar, butter and salt.
The selection changes over time, so it is better to think of these as examples of Murphys’ approach rather than a guaranteed menu.
What Should You Try First?
If it is your first visit, I would not immediately choose the safest flavour in the cabinet.
Ask for a taste.
Murphys shops are known for allowing customers to sample flavours before deciding, which is particularly useful when something like brown bread or sea salt sounds a little unusual.
My approach would be simple:
Try Irish Brown Bread and Dingle Sea Salt first.
Even if you eventually choose chocolate, honeycomb or something more familiar, those two flavours explain much more about the Murphys story.
They connect the ice cream back to Ireland and, particularly in the case of the sea salt, directly back to Dingle.
Visiting the Original Murphys Shop in Dingle
The original Murphys Ice Cream shop is on Strand Street in the centre of Dingle.
It is easy to include while exploring the town on foot and is only a short walk from Dingle Harbour.
The address currently listed by Murphys is:
Strand Street
Dingle
County Kerry
V92 TR98
During busy summer periods, it is not unusual to find other visitors arriving with the same idea, but ice cream is hardly an experience that needs to be rushed.
If you are unsure what to order, sample something unfamiliar before deciding.
There Are Two Murphys Shops in Dingle
Visitors should also know that the original Strand Street shop is no longer the only Murphys location in town.
There is a second Dingle shop closer to the Pier and Dingle Marina, also on Strand Street.
That location is particularly convenient if you are walking around the harbour or marina.
For anyone interested in the history of the business, however, the original Strand Street shop remains the more significant of the two because that is where the Murphys story began.
Locations and opening arrangements can change, so check the company’s current information if you are travelling specifically to one shop.
Is Murphys Good for Families?
Yes, for most families Murphys is an easy stop while exploring Dingle.
Children can choose familiar flavours, while adults—or more adventurous younger visitors—can experiment with combinations such as sea salt or brown bread.
One advantage is that you do not necessarily have to commit to an unfamiliar flavour without trying it first.
For families spending a day walking around Dingle, it is also an easy experience to include without needing reservations or a complicated itinerary. The guide to things to do in Dingle includes other town-based and family-friendly activities that can be combined with it.
What About Dairy-Free or Vegan Options?
Murphys currently produces dairy-free and vegan sorbets, including Raspberry Sorbet.
However, anyone with a food allergy or serious dietary restriction should speak directly with staff about the current ingredients and allergen procedures before ordering.
Flavours and preparation methods can change, and an individual food business is always the best source for current allergy information.
From Dingle to an Irish Ice Cream Brand
Murphys is now much larger than its original Dingle shop.
The company currently operates its own shops in locations including Dublin, Killarney, Galway and Cork, while tubs of Murphys ice cream are also available through selected retailers around Ireland.
Despite that expansion, production remains strongly associated with Dingle.
That matters to the story.
It means visitors buying an ice cream on Strand Street are not simply visiting a branch of a company that happens to operate in Dingle.
They are visiting the town where the business began and where Murphys still makes its ice cream.
Why Murphys Fits Dingle
Dingle has developed an unusually strong food-and-drink identity for a town of its size.
Seafood arrives through its harbour. Local farms shape the surrounding landscape. Independent restaurants, food producers and businesses have built reputations far beyond West Kerry.
Murphys belongs within that story.
Its most interesting products don’t simply carry Irish names.
Brown bread connects with a familiar Irish food tradition. Kerry cow milk connects with local agriculture. Sea salt is produced from Atlantic water collected near Dingle. Dingle Gin links the ice cream with another local producer.
None of those details needs to be described as a “taste of Kerry”.
The ingredients already explain the connection.
The wider Dingle food guide explores more of the town’s relationship with seafood, local ingredients and independent food producers.
Is Murphys Ice Cream Worth Visiting?
If you are spending time in Dingle, yes, I think Murphys is worth trying at least once.
Not because everyone has to agree that it is Ireland’s best ice cream.
Food doesn’t work that way.
I recommend it because it began here, is still made here and has developed flavours that genuinely reflect aspects of Irish food and the Dingle Peninsula.
If you only want a familiar scoop of chocolate or vanilla, you can certainly have one.
But if you want to understand what has made Murphys distinctive, try the flavours you would not normally order elsewhere.
Start with Brown Bread.
Try the Sea Salt.
Then decide.
Discover More Independent Dingle Businesses
Murphys is part of a wider network of independent businesses that gives Dingle much of its present-day character.
The Little Cheese Shop introduces visitors to Irish farmhouse cheeses and artisan produce, while Bean in Dingle represents the town’s independent café culture.
Visitors interested in seafood can learn about the specialised approach taken by Out of the Blue, where the menu is shaped by the available catch. Those interested in locally made craft can also discover Holden Leathergoods between the Dingle and Ventry area.
These businesses are very different from one another, but they share an important connection: they create products and experiences rooted in the place where they operate.
What Else Is Nearby?
Both Dingle shops are within the centre of town, so Murphys is easy to combine with a walk through Dingle, along Dingle Harbour or around the marina.
If you have spent the day exploring Slea Head Drive or the wider peninsula, returning to town and walking the waterfront afterwards is a natural way to finish the day.
Murphys also belongs within a wider food story that includes Dingle’s seafood restaurants, pubs, cafés, food producers and distillery.
Taken together, they reveal another side of the peninsula beyond its landscapes and historical sites.
Continue Exploring Dingle
A visit to Murphys can fit almost anywhere within a day in town. It works after a harbour walk, as a short stop between shops or as a relaxed finish after returning from the peninsula.
The guide to planning a perfect day in Dingle can help combine time in town with selected places farther west.
In the evening, visitors can move from Dingle’s food businesses to its traditional pubs. The guide to the best pubs in Dingle for live music provides a starting point for deciding where to experience a session.
Steve’s Peninsula Tours’ private Dingle half-day tour returns visitors to Dingle Town, where the harbour, shops and local food businesses can then be explored independently on foot.
Frequently Asked Questions About Murphys Ice Cream Dingle
Where did Murphys Ice Cream start?
Murphys Ice Cream was established in Dingle in 2000. Its original shop remains on Strand Street in the centre of town.
How many Murphys Ice Cream shops are there in Dingle?
There are currently two Murphys shops in Dingle: the original shop on Strand Street and another close to the Pier and Dingle Marina. Check current company information before travelling because locations and opening arrangements can change.
Is Murphys Ice Cream made in Dingle?
Yes. Murphys describes its ice cream as handmade in Dingle and says it has been making ice cream there since 2000.
What is Murphys’ most popular flavour?
Murphys identifies Dingle Sea Salt as its best-selling flavour. The salt is produced from Atlantic seawater collected at Bín Bán Beach near Dingle.
What is Brown Bread ice cream?
Murphys’ Irish Brown Bread flavour uses brown bread that is caramelised with muscovado sugar before being incorporated into the ice cream.
Does Murphys use Kerry cow milk?
Murphys states that it uses milk from the indigenous Kerry cow breed in its ice cream.
Does Murphys have dairy-free ice cream?
Murphys offers dairy-free and vegan sorbets, including Raspberry Sorbet. Availability can vary, so check the current selection when visiting.
Can you taste flavours before choosing?
Murphys encourages customers to sample flavours in its shops before deciding, making it worth trying some of the more unusual options before ordering.
Which Murphys flavour should I try in Dingle?
For a first visit, I would try Irish Brown Bread and Dingle Sea Salt. They are two of the flavours that best explain the company’s connection with Irish food and Dingle itself.
