We recently spent a long weekend in the south of Ireland, in the town of Kinsale, in County Cork. It’s a perennial favourite, often coming in first or second place for ‘cutest town in Ireland’. The folks in Cork warned us that – given the glorious weather – it would be swarming with people. But one benefit of having lived in Istanbul is that we have a very high threshold for crowded. And, in fact, it wasn’t very crowded at all. Just over 5000 people live in Kinsale. That number doubles on a sunny weekend, but it was still very manageable. The car traffic, however, is pretty intense. The streets are narrow and everyone wants to be in the city-centre. For good reason.
Kinsale was long an important port, given its safe harbour and the wind currents that make for an easy journey to England. And it’s bursting with history. The most important battle of Irish history was fought here in 1601, when the Spaniards and various Irish chieftains banded together to try to expel the English. Only somehow the Spanish didn’t end up fighting, and the Irish disagreed among themselves. The rout marked the end of Spanish naval attempts on the island. (There’s even a poem written about it, by Aubrey de Vere.) If that’s not enough history for you, Alexander Selkirk, the model for Robinson Crusoe, was born here. As was the pirate Anne Bonny. And the RMS Lusitania sank just off the shore of Kinsale in 1915.
All of which is interesting in its own right, and also contributes mightily to the cute factor. Kinsale, in addition to being a foodie town (65 restaurants, many specialising in fish), is located on the water. It boasts a number of historical buildings, including Desmond Castle (early 16th century), and Multose Cathedral, built in the 6th century (the current building is a 12th century Norman construction).
Kinsale has all of the things you want in a weekend getaway: tons of B&Bs, coffee shops, bookstores, pubs, wine bars, and art galleries. The town plan is medieval, which means lots of twisty lanes to lose yourself in. And there are even strategically placed benches, so you can rest a spell if the adorableness gets to be too much. The majority of buildings are Georgian, painted in a variety of brilliant colours, which often clash with one another and add to the general jollity.
There are also a couple of great walks/bike rides nearby, one of them to Charles Fort which is in ruins but has several excellent exhibits. (Also the James Fort, ditto.) There’s a pub nearby, The Bulman, which has sparkling wine on tap. ON TAP! That pub is a mere 250 years old, however, so if you want some real history head over to The Spaniard, which has been there since 1650. Other restaurant highlights were Fishy Fishy and the Black Pig. But our general sense is that you can’t go wrong here; the coffee shops we spent time in (the Cosy Cafe, the Post House Coffee Shop, and the Flying Poet) all had outstanding baked goods and sandwiches.
We loved wandering around Kinsale, exploring the waterfront and stopping in the many pubs. In fact, we loved it so much that we might even live here for more than four days. Although we are city people, you may someday find us writing regular posts from Kinsale!
