Kinsale Things to Do

Even though it was raining I enjoyed my visit to the fort and the walk to it from the centre of Kinsale. It is run by the OPW and it is 3 Euro 70 to enter. The best thing about our visit was the free...

This is one of my favourite places in County Cork, this windswept rocky promontory reaching out into the ocean. There is a lighthouse at the end of it but you can't get to it - the road ends with a...

The centre of Kinsale is lovely - its winding narrow lanes are pure bliss for the eyes - I have never seen so many colourful houses anywhere, and all of them matching their neighbours. I wonder if...

Probably the most colourful of Kinsale's pretty streets, Chairmans Lane runs down towards the harbour directly opposite Desmond Castle. Anecdotes abound about the 'whys' and 'wherefores' of the name...

James Fort was constructed between 1601 and 1603. It is a pentagonal shaped fort with a covered walkway leading to the fort. This fort was the harbours main defence until the construction of Charles...

This fairytale yellow cottage is about halfway between Summercove and Kinsale and everybody always stops to take photographs. In summer the hollyhocks grow almost to the roof. I often wonder about the...

We went sailing with the guys in Sovereign Sailing down at the Trident Hotel Marina. I had never sailed before but they took 4 of us out on a new 34ft sailing yacht. It was Fantastic. They gave us all...

A great way to see the harbour, also the town and Charles Fort from a different angle. Nice traditional music, interesting commentry, coffee and bar service available. The trip lasts for 55 minutes...

Desmond Castle was built around 1500 by Maurice Bacach Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond. A hundred years later it was used as an arsenal by Don Juan Aguilla during the Spanish occupation of the town which...

Leaving Charles Fort via the drawbridge, pause to look at the three plaques in Irish, English and Spanish unveiled in 2001, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Battle of Kinsale. This spot...

Dating back to 1190, St Multose Church is the oldest building in Kinsale and has been in continuous use all this time. Its appearance has been considerably changed since then, some of the original...

If you lack the stamina for all of the above or have a short amount of time then I would recommend the one-hour 'Historic Stroll in Old Kinsale' which leaves the tourist office at 11.15 every morning....