Kinsale, Ireland

Kinsale, in County cork, is within 30 minutes drive of Cork City (17 miles). You will travel from Cobh along the River Lee and cross the Brandon River via a tunnel to continue through the countryside towards Kinsale Town. Kinsale is a beautiful and picturesque harbour town in County Cork, Ireland. Walking around this small quaint city brings you back in time with it's charming shops, narrow streets, and Irish pubs. Early settlers in Ireland came to live in the area which we now know as Kinsale. Indeed the Old Head of Kinsale has been attributed as the site for some of the earliest settlers in Ireland. Later a number of Christian settlements were established in the surrounding countryside.

Kinsale is a traditional commercial port with a long history. It has a splendid, virtually land locked natural harbor on the estuary of the Bandon River. As a commercial port, Kinsale caters to approximately 100 vessels per year. The majority of commercial shipping in involved in the importation of bulk animal foods. As a pleasure port, Kinsale boasts two fully serviced Marinas and is also home to a thriving fishing fleet. Kinsale is famous for golf, yachting, angling, and delicious seafoods

Kinsale is known as the "Gourmet Captial of Ireland." But the medieval town of Kinsale is not just about food, it’s also about traditional bars, beautiful buildings, narrow streets, shops and galleries and lots of activities on land and sea. Its' magnificent Georgian and Dutch architecture embellishes the quaint shops and houses.

There are really only about five shopping streets but all of them are crammed with exquisite merchandise. Make no mistake about it, the shops are expensive. But the merchandise is superbly hand-crafted; items such as pottery, glass, wood , lace and linen. There is also an equal numbers of cafes, bistros and pubs to tempt you to rest and refresh. Again, many of them are on the pricey side, but it would be silly not to indulge yourself and enjoy Kinsale's very special ambience.

HISTORICAL SITES
Kinsale, has had a long and checkered history. An important naval base in the 17th and 18th centuries is today, a popular yachting center. Situated on one of Ireland's most scenic harbors, it retains much of the flavor of its rich maritime past. The old fortifications of Charles Fort and James Fort guard the narrow entrance to Kinsale from the sea.

Perhaps the best-known historical attraction in Kinsale is Charles Fort, on the road just beyond Summercove. It is open all year, and regular guided tours are available. Charles Fort is one of the finest surviving examples of a 17th Century star-shaped fort, and much of the construction begun in 1678 remains. The fort has two enormous bastions overlooking the estuary, and three facing inland. Within its walls were all the barracks and ancillary facilities to support the fort's garrison. The fort continued in military use until 1922.

A short walk uphill from St. Multose Church is Desmond Castle. The castle is referred to locally as the 'French Prison' due to a fire in 1747 when 54 prisoners, mostly French seamen, died. It was built by the Earl of Desmond in AD 1500, occupied by the Spanish in 1601 and was used as a prison for the captured American sailors during the American War of Independence. Desmond Castle was also used as a county jail (from 1791-1845), and when the Great Potato Famine broke out it was used as a workhouse to shelter the starving people. It's solid structure and interesting architecture make it well worth a visit. Today the castle is home to the International Museum of Wine.

Desmond Castle

Built in 1190, St. Multose Church is the oldest building in Kinsale. This church has remained in continuous use to the present day. Some interesting features include an inscription in Norman French, the Easter sepulchre, the Baptismal font, the carved memorials, and the reredos from the Galway chapel as well as the wooden Coat of Arms. The Southwell Memorial in Carrera marble, is beautiful.

Located 7 miles west of Kinsale on the southern coast of Ireland., Old Head is a 220-acre promontory that raises high above the dramatic cliffs and is surrounded by the Atlantic on all sides by the crashing of waves . The black and white striped lighthouse there is connected to the mainland by a very narrow strip of land. This is the spot where a German U-boat sank the British passenger ship Lusitania in 1915. Picnickers actually watched the massive Lusitania sailing towards its tragic end. Suddenly, there was an explosion that cracked across the calm ocean, followed by a second shattering blast. Within 20 horrifying minutes, the picnickers witnessed the great ocean liner disappear into the ocean a mere 11 miles from Old Head point. A memorial to the Lusitania now marks the place where the eyewitnesses watched the great liner slide beneath the waves. There is no public access to the lighthouse at the end of the road. The road ends with a gate long before you get it and a fence on both sides tells you in no uncertain terms you won't be welcome there. Unless... you join the exclusive golf club, which has its golf course at the tip of the cliff. Just EUR 250 and you can drive in.