July 28: Kinsale

We woke up to the sound of rain, our first since arriving in Ireland.  After eating a huge breakfast of eggs, toast, black pudding, white pudding, sausage, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms with plenty of juice and coffee we went back to the room so I could do some laundry and we could plan our day.  The rain stopped and by the time we arrived in Kinsale the sun was shining.

The drive to Kinsale

Kinsale is a fishing village 25 km south of Cork and is a popular holiday resort for the Irish.  It is well known for it yacht harbour and world class golf courses.  We walked around the town, there were plenty of little shops, art galleries and pubs and restaurants.  We walked down to the harbour and boarded "Spirit of Kinsale" for a harbour cruise.

Spirit of Kinsale

Kinsale Harbour

Fishing village

The narrated cruise took us past Charles Fort,  one of the best surviving examples of a 17th Century star-shaped fort, and much of the construction that was started in 1678 remains standing. 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.  

Charles Fort

Charles Fort overlooking the harbour

James Fort is on the opposite side of the harbour and was occupied by the Spanish for a time during the Siege of Kinsale.  We saw seals playing in the water and many different birds while cruising along the coastline of the harbour.

James Fort

After the harbour cruise we stopped off at the market and bought some snacks and ate a picnic lunch in the park.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon.

Kinsale Harbour

When we returned to Cork we walked down to Gallagher's Pub for supper and then stayed to listen to a young musician who played acoustic guitar.  He did a few traditional songs but also played some great rock and roll.