Kinsdale

Places of Interest - Ireland

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introduction

Kinsale (Irish: Cionn tSáile) is located 25 kilometers south of Cork, at the mouth of the Bandon near the Old Head of Kinsale. The town is seen as the perfect ideal picture, the one you see in your mind when you think of Ireland.

Small narrow streets with cobbles, terraces, shops and bubbling fishing boats in the natural harbor surrounded by rolling green hills. You can enjoy walking around here, enjoy the tasty food and hike to the impressive ruiins from the fort or to the coast.

highlights

Downtown Kinsale:

In the old historical center of Kinsale is the Desmond castle. It is an early 16th century fortified house which was occupied by the Spaniards in 1601. After that, it became a customs warehouse and served it as a prison for French and American prisoners and as a working house during the famine.

Nowadays you can read all about the origin of the wine trade in Kinsale and surrounding areas in this museum. On the other side of the atmospheric authentic center stands the stately St. Multose church. It is one of the oldest in Ireland built in 1190 by the Norwegians on the grounds of a church built in the 6th century.

The graves of a number of victims of the disaster with the Lusitiana ship are on the adjacent cemetery. James Fort is located on the other side of the cove, around the Castlepark peninsula. From this fortress, during an era of war, an underwater cable could be stretched to Charles Fort. The purpose of this cable was to sink enemy ships by tearing or damaging the soil.

Charles Fort:

Charles Fort, located on the south side of the Summer Cove, was built in 1677. This is a perfectly preserved star shaped fortress. The fort is specially designed to protect the entrance of the port, in particular to deny the French and Spaniards the use of the port in case of a landing in Ireland.

The fort was actively used until 1921 when the English army pulled back. Next to the interesting fortress, the walk is wonderful (3 km) as well as the view.

Other sights:

The Regional Museum.

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history

Kinsale was in 1601 the scene of the Kinsale Siege, where English troops defeated a combined Irish-Spanish army led by Hugh Ro O'Donnell and Hugh O'Neill. This because of the promise that Irish troops would help the Spaniards with their fight against the English. Forced by this defeat and to prevent more land and property damage, several Irish dukes and nobles flew out of Ireland on Christmas Eve.

An action known as the Flight of the Dukes. It was forbidden for the Catholics to re-engage the city fora bout the further 100 years. Historians now deter this date as the end of Celtic Ireland. The city would develop as a shipbuilding town in the years to come. In 1690 Jacobus II left England and Ireland after his defeat in the Battle of the Boyne, from Kinsale to France.

At the beginning of the 18th century, Alexander Selkirk would leave Ireland on Kinsale harbor and strand on an uninhabited island. His journey would be the source of inspiration for Daniel Defoe writing his Robinson Cruseau story. After sinking the RMS Lusitania through a German U-boat in 1915, the survivors and part of the victims were landed in Kinsale.

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tips & advice (2015)

There is a small bus station (more bus stop) on the west side of the harbor in the center. Here, buses leave for Cork via the airport.

Kinsdale - Cork: The bus takes about an hour and costs 9.90 euros. This is the price for an individual ticket. You can better buy a return ticket if you come from Cork. There are about 15 buses a day at about the hour.

Most of Kinsdale's restaurants are located in and around the harbor and in the small (narrow) streets behind it

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Name : Dempsey's hostel

Address : Eastern road

Price : 7 euro (camping), 15 euro (dormitory)

Phone nr. : 353 21 477 2124

E-mail : dandempseykinsale@gmail.com

Content:

The Dempsey hostel is a bright blue building on the corner of the street on the way to Kinsdale center just a bit further than the gas station. There are singles, doubles and even a few places in the little backyard to set up your tent. The atmosphere is very cozy and the center is within walking distance.

Staff is helpful, though not always present. There is a small kitchen, a lobby and a kind of covered outdoor terrace. There is WIFI available, free coffee, tea and drinking water.

The activities that you can do in and around Kinsale mainly deal with (sea)cruises that are not so surprising and very pricey. Next to a cruise you can go for whales watching and kayaking.

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