Kinsale, Cork

Kinsale can be reached by bus from Cork, and is famous for its fish - people travel for miles to come to some of its restaurants. We settled for straightforward fish and chips at a place by the bus stops, and they were good!

We had walked up an appetite by following the coastal footpath out to Charles Fort, just outside the town. Charles Fort was built by the British in the 17th century and remained in use as an army barracks until the early 20th century, when it was destroyed by fire during the civil war of 1922. There is a small museum and cafe on site and you can explore the whole site freely. There are good views of Kinsale Harbour from the castle. Entrance was around 2 - 3 euros.

Kinsale itself is quite a quaint town (more so than Cork) and there are some good arts and crafts shops and food sops.

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Kinsale is a fishing village three quters of a hours bus journey from Cork and also one of the best places in Ireland for resturants, all of the houses have been painted in nice pastel colours which when you look up a street give a nice effect.
There are plenty of pubs with character and atmostshere.
Fantastic views are to been seen along the harbour and the walks to Charles fort.
Kinsale was were James II came ashore to regain his throne in 1689 and were he left to go back to Europe after the battle of the Boyne. During the 17th and 18th cent Kinsale was an important harbour for the British navy in its wars with France, and French prisoners of war were imprisoned here in Desmonds Castle.
It is off the Old Head of Kinsale that the cruise liner The Lusitanian was sunk by a German u boat during the First World War bring the USA into the war

For things to do in kinsale see my kinsale page

Only half an hour from down town Cork, there is Kinsale, village of fishermen. It is a lovely city. Nice to go for a meal and then enjoy seeing the shops are go to a pub. It has the best pub ever (in m opinion) called The Spaniard. Just facing the water, the Spaniard is a cousy place when it's raining at there.
Kisale is an alternative to live in when you don't like Cork city. Many of our friends used to live in Kinsale because it's closer to nature. It has beaches and sport activities.

Have a visit to the Charles Fort near Kinsale.
The star shaped fort was constructed 1677 in honour of King Charles II, and guarded both the entrence to the ocean, and the harbour of Kinsale.

Visit the pretty town of 'Kinsale', where you will be warmly welcomed everywhere. It's a great place to get away for the day. There are superb pubs where you can lunch in with great food on the menu!