Kinsale- "The Gourmet Capital of Ireland"

As promised before Mary's accident, I will cover the rest of my adventures from the Rebel County of Cork. I will resume with my adventure to the town of Kinsale, a seaport in the extreme southern coast of Ireland, rich in history and food. Known as the gourmet capital of Ireland, Kinsale is a harbor town and home to the largest Yacht Club in the British Isles. Along the two entrances to the harbor are the ruins of two fortresses, erected at the time of the Nine Years' War and the crisis of the Spanish Armada. Historically significant in Irish history, Kinsale was the site of the devastating battle in which Hugh O'Neill was defeated while trying to relieve the besieged Spanish forces garrisoned here, and later, during the War of the Two Kings, it is through the port of Kinsale the James the Second both arrived and later fled Ireland following the defeat at the Boyne. Local history holds that the port of Kinsale dates back as a settlement to pre-Roman times, and classical evidence shows there was trade between the pre-Celtic Irish and the Greeks and Carthaginians, possibly centering around the coastal settlement of an ancient Kinsale. The day I was there was gorgeous and mild, a beautiful day for hiking and exploring this colorful town.

Kinsale's culture is based in history, gourmet food, and the sea. It is known as both the capital of Irish sailing and seafood, and while I was there I enjoyed some delicious Irish mussels and crab legs. The day was beautiful and I hiked up around both heads of the harbor.

 Kinsale Harbor is the destination of many continental and American yachters coming to Ireland. It is estimated that at any one time, at least 9% of the current population is actually made up of foreigners living in their sailboats in Kinsale Harbor.




Below is the entrance to Kinsale Harbor from the open Atlantic of the Western English Channel

This tower is said to be the last remnants of the pre-Celtic port of Coin-staile, where Greek, Iberian and Carthaginian merchants would have come to trade for copper, tin, wool and wode.

 James' Fort, built in response to the threat of Spanish invasion during the days of the Armada. The Spanish did maintain a beach-head at Kinsale prior to this fort's construction, during the Nine Years War, when a Spanish expedition of 3,500 men-at-arms landed in support of the Earls of Tyrone and Tyrconnell.

 Charles' Fort, across the harbor entrance from James' Fort is the more impressive of the two harbor fortresses and was built in 1677 on the site of an earlier Spanish fort. It is built in the impregnable star formation of later 18th century forts, and was built in honor of Charles II who had then returned from exile to restore order to the chaos of the Cromwellian regime.

                                            Ruined Church on the Castlepark Penninsula

 The town of Kinsale itself is a charming and fairly small sea village, with lots of colorful little shops, cafes, fish mongers and restaurants.I found a nice cap for Grandpa Nelson at a little tweed and woolen shop in in the village!





As you can see, they're pretty    laid back about specific times here in Ireland!
        ---->