Kinsale - The Irish Riveria — Tuljak! Travel Blog

After visiting Cobh, we were excited to explore the seaside town of Kinsale. By all accounts, Kinsale is the favorite Irish seaside town for Irish and foreign visitors. In Rick Steve’s guidebook, Kinsale is the recommended home base while exploring southeastern Ireland. With plenty of characteristic accommodations and fine dining establishments, everyone seems to have only positive things to say about this place. As usual, I was suspicious whenever I heard such a glowing review of a place. It could not possibly be that perfect, right?

Due to Kinsale’s popularity, the acconondation cost was sky high. A mid-range bed and breakfast costs about €170-200 a night during the high season. It was a slim picking when we looked, as this was a relatively last-minute trip. After much research, we stayed three evenings in Cork, a 30-minute drive from Cobh or Kinsale. Although Cork does not have the best reputation among travelers, we enjoyed its urban bustle. It also marked a perfect contrast with Kinsale’s small-town ambiance.

We arrived at Kinsale around ten o’clock. As usual, the Irish weather was not promising. Since we had such a good time with our tour guide at Cobh, I joined another walking tour during our visit to Kinsale. Rick Steves enthusiastically recommends Don and Barry’s Historical Stroll. This long-running tour does not charge a fixed price and permits everyone to slip away if they do not enjoy the tour. On our day of visit, our tour guide was David, and he is somewhat what I could imagine as a stereotype of an Irish man, gregarious with an excellent Gift of the Gab.

The tour started in front of the town’s Tourist Information office on the harbor front. Kinsale is situated at the mouth of the River Bandon, and its story is intricately linked to its harbor. Kinsale's deep-water natural harbor has made it an incredibly desirable place throughout history. David pointed out at the water and called attention to how calm the water was. It vividly illustrates how protected the harbor is from the ocean. Despite the apparent calmness, the harbor is incredibly tidal. The water level fluctuates as much as ten feet between the low and high tides. The prehistoric settlers here took advantage of the tide to transport heavy materials.

The oldest pub in Kinsale, Grey Hound, dates back to 1690.

Kinsale became a popular trading post during the Bronze Age due to its strategic location and the large copper deposit in southeastern Ireland. The name Kinsale means “headland of the sea” in Irish. The first permanent settlement was said to have been founded by the Vikings, and plenty of ancient ring forts could be found in the surrounding area. The current town is based mainly on the 12th-century Anglo-Norman settlement. The town was subsequently fortified. The surrounding oak forest was cleared for its construction, permanently changing the surrounding area's geography.

As we walked through Kinsale's winding streets, David pointed out that its curvature corresponded to the historical shoreline. As the town expanded, they began landfilling its historic harbor. Nowadays, maritime activities are moved further out. Kinsale was the main base for the Irish Naval Service until they relocated to Cobh due to the accelerating silting in the harbor. The salty seafaring heritage of Kinsale is in the rearview mirror. Nowadays, the historic harbor is the domain of yachts and tourist boats. It is difficult to imagine how this idyllic town saw some of the fiercest battles in Ireland back in the day.

I was surprised by how sleepy Kinsale was during our visit in the middle of the tourist high season.

Because of Kinsale’s strategic importance, whoever controlled this port could gain a foothold in Ireland. In 1601, Kinsale was the site of a major battle between England and the Spanish-backed Garlic Ireland. Before the war, Tudor England’s claim for Ireland was in name only for the most part. Except for the area surrounding Dublin, much of Ireland was still substantively controlled by Gaelic lords. As England began to exert control, many rebelled against the crown. Catholic Spain, locked in a continental battle with England, strategically allied with the Catholic Gaelic lords. The enemy of your enemy is your ally, right?

Reference to the Spanish invasion could still be found all over Kinsale.

Four thousand men with the Spanish Armada landed in Kinsale in 1601 and rushed to fortify the town for the impending English troops. Although they managed to gain a foothold in the city, the Spanish still needed to secure the surrounding hills. The town's topography was such that the enemy troops could besiege the city from the higher ground. The English forces besieged Kinsale for two months while the Spanish awaited the Irish reinforcement. When the Irish arrived, they were exhausted by a 300-mile march from the north. The lack of coordination between the Spanish and Irish led to a decisive victory for the British.

The Siege of Kinsale paved the way for the total English domination of Ireland for the first time. To subjugate the Gaelic Irish clans, London transported a great number of settlers from England and Scotland. The result of this resettlement is evident in the political division of the island of Ireland today. David frames this battle as the ultimate showdown between the English and Spanish-speaking world. He jokingly said that if Spanish had repelled English, Ireland might still be part of Spain, and Spanish might be today's primary global language. Who would guess this idyllic town may have altered the course of world history?

Following the English conquest, a state-of-art fort was commissioned near the mouth of the harbor. Named after King Charles II, Charles Fort was the largest star-shaped Great Britain fort capable of withstanding cannons. However, it was noted from early on that Charles Fort may be formidable from seaward but is highly vulnerable to land attack. Because hills surround the fort at a higher position, it is defenseless if surrounded by a land force. This vulnerability was exploited in the Williamite War two decades after its completion. The battle was between Catholic Jacobites favoring the deposed King James II and the protestant English King William and Queen Mary II. The Jacobite force surrendered the fort after a thirteen-day siege and five days of continuous bombardment. The tour guide at the fort joked that Charles Fort has a 100% failure rate.

Charles Fort is a lovely 45-minute stroll along the harbor from central Kinsale. Despite the poor weather, we enjoyed the scenery along the way. As Charles Fort is managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW), the admission is covered by our handy OPW Heritage Card. As expected, the included guided tour was excellent and brought the history to life. The complex may not hold a candle to Helsinki’s Suomenlinna, but it is still impressive. It remained a British Army barrack until being burned down in 1921, the waning years of the Irish Civil War.

Charles Fort was a state-of-art fortification against cannon fire.

When OPW took possession of the fort, it was decided not to reconstruct it. The ruined buildings were stabilized but left in place as a memorial for the Irish Civil War. The most exciting building within the complex is the gunpowder magazine. It has thick walls and cleverly placed cavities to prevent accidental detonation. Gunpowder's danger and value meant it required special care. The guardians of gunpowder back in the day had to work nearly naked to avoid sparking an explosion with static electricity. It was a miracle that the magazine survived intact during the siege of the Williamite War. Interestingly, the magazine is now a popular wedding venue.

From the ramparts, a breathtaking view of Kinsale’s harbor unfolds, capturing the fort's strategic importance. It's hard to believe that the soldiers stationed here were lowly paid and ill-equipped back in their days. Toward the end of our guided tour inside the fort, we were introduced to the tragic story of Wilful Warrender, the daughter of Governor Warrender, who was in command of Charles Fort. Known as the “White Lady of Kinsale,” she committed suicide on his wedding night after her father mistakenly shot her husband.

It was a heartwrenching Shakespearean story. Soon after her death, soldiers stationed here claimed frequent sightings of Wilful dressed in her white wedding gown. To kick it up a notch, the guide showed everyone a photo taken by a pair of Australian backpackers a few decades ago. The picture showed the alleged apparition of the White Lady by a window. Given that the interior floor was long gone, this was considered a concrete sighting of the white lady. Unsurprisingly, some of us went on a scavenger hunt to find the alleged window in the picture. It seemed to us the suspected apparition was likely the coincidentally aligned pattern of peeling paint.

When we returned to central Kinsale in the late afternoon, the cloud had lifted, revealing the city's colorful architecture. Kinsale’s transformation from a scruffy seaside town in detail into a holiday destination has been remarkable. According to Peter, the story began in the 1970s when a group of like-minded restauranteurs and hoteliers formed an organization called Kinsale Good Food Circle to organize annual culinary festivals. The most famous of which is the All Ireland Chowder Festival, the winner of which goes on to compete in a sister chowder festival in Newport, Rhode Island. Their goal is to promote and redefine Ireland’s culinary scene. Back then, people came to Ireland not for the food but despite it. Through sheer determination, this ambitious group of chefs turned Kinsale into the foodie capital of Ireland.

Kinsale Good Food Circle is comprised of eleven venerated restaurants in Kinsale.

From Dinos’s humble fish and chips to the one-star Bastion, this city of six thousand has fifty eateries, including half a dozen listed on the Michelin Guide. Before our trip, my professional colleague Denis recommended Fishy Fishy Restaurant, a venerated seafood restaurant by celebrity chef Martin Shanahan. This is one of the eleven original restaurants within Kinsale Good Food Circle, and very popular with locals and tourists alike. Denis even instructed me to say hi to Chef Martin for him!

Nowadays, Kinsale’s claim to fame is an ever-expanding collection of colorful houses. Concentrated near the old Town Hall, these neon-colored structures do not look particularly Irish. David told us these garish colors were dreamed up by a local paint shop. I got a feeling that the locals saw them as a brazen attempt to attract tourists. While I can’t say they are exactly my style, I have to admit they sure are photogenic and social media-friendly. These outrageous colors sure brighten up the dreary Irish winter.

The neon colors are definitely a little overboard.

I personally much prefer the standard pastel colors more commonly found in Ireland.

As desirable as Kinsale may be, it is still a highly seasonable destination, much like Ireland. Kinsale almost doubles its population during the summer months. While tourism is a significant economic driver, the town has benefited from the presence of American pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. First arriving in 1981, the company now employs over 1,800 people in Kinsale and recently announced another €1.8 billion investment. I remember that the manufacturing plant here was indispensable in producing COVID-19 vaccines.

The town center has plenty of bars and boutiques to keep visitors entertained. The shopping here tends to be geared toward the high-end market and has yet to be invaded by international chains. There are many art galleries and artisan shops selling knitwear and vintage items. If it were not for the bustling local pub scene, Kinsale could feel a little like an amusement park. It turned out that Kinsale won the coveted Irish Tidy Towns competition in 1986. Although there is a small cash prize, it is the bragging right that matters. All around towns were plaques or references to this distinction.

*The Great Wall of Kinsale* by Eilís O’Connell.

The town commissioned Irish-born Eilís O’Connell to create a monument to celebrate the achievement. Entitled The Great Wall of Kinsale, it never received much love from the locals. The structure resembles the wave and reflects the town’s maritime heritage. However, it inevitably became a skateboarding park for unruly teenagers; the metal barriers became necessary. Some even joke that it ruined Kinsale’s hard-won Tidy Town status.

For us Americans, the most important former resident of Kinsale would probably be William Penn, the father of William Penn, Jr, the founder of the Colony of Pennsylvania. Penn was a member of the British House of Commons and an admiral of the British Navy. After his knighthood, he was appointed the governor of Kinsale and granted a massive estate nearby. With an annual income of £2,000, he welded considerable influences in the area. King Charles II later went into considerable debt and owed William Penn £16,000, a considerable sum.

This building housed the tavern frequented by Admiral William Penn, the namesake of Pennsylvania.

In 1681, the king granted the younger Penn a proprietary colony in exchange for having the debts forgiven. The king even named the colony Pennsylvania in honor of his father. Who knew Kinsale had such a close relationship with the history of the early American colonies? At the intersection of Market Street and Market Quay still stands a building that William Penn frequented when he was a governor. Despite the number of American visitors, I was surprised Kinsale does not market its connections with the Penn family.

Before bidding farewell to Kinsale, we stopped at Saint Multose Church of Ireland. This handsome 12-century Romanesque church is one the Ireland’s oldest churches. The church houses a great collection of carvings and stained glass. Amazingly, King Charles II was proclaimed King at this humble church. That said, the main draw for us was the graves of the victims of RMS Lusitania. The fateful event took place fourteen miles off the Old Head of Kinsale. 1,197 passengers and crew perished in the tragedy.

Five of the victims of RMS *Lusitania* were buried here.

When the bodies of five victims landed in Kinsale, the local coroner opened an official investigation into the sinking. Sympathetic to the Irish cause, the coroner sought to embarrass the British Navy by questioning why the Lusitania was not better protected. The “Kingsale inquest” became a major story in Ireland. But in the end, he concluded by telling the jury there would be no other reasonable judgment after hearing the evidence but to find the men in the German U-boat guilty of murder.

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