Kinsale Travel Guide
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Kinsale is 29km (18 miles) S of Cork, 87km (54 miles) SE of Killarney, 156km (97 miles) SE of Shannon Airport, 285km (177 miles) SW of Dublin, and 32km (20 miles) E of Clonakilty
Only 29km (18 miles) south of Cork City, Kinsale is a small fishing village with a sheltered semicircular harbor rimmed by hilly terrain. It is one of the most darling harbor towns in Europe. Considered the gateway to the western Cork seacoast, this compact town of 2,000 residents has also made a big name for itself as the "gourmet capital of Ireland." Home to more than a dozen award-winning restaurants and pubs, Kinsale draws food lovers year-round, particularly in October during the 4-day Gourmet Festival, when the atmosphere in town is especially convivial.
Kinsale fits the picture-postcard image of what a charming Irish seaport should look like -- narrow, winding streets; well-kept 18th-century houses; imaginatively painted shop fronts; window boxes and street stanchions brimming with colorful flowers; and a harbor full of sailboats. The downside of all this is that the secret is out: Kinsale is a tourist mecca, so add parking problems and tour buses to the list of the city's sights.
In 1601 the town was the scene of the Battle of Kinsale, a turning point in Irish history. The defeat of the Irish helped to establish English domination. After the battle, a new governor representing the British crown was appointed. His name was William Penn. Ring any bells? For a time, Penn's son William served in Kinsale as clerk of the admiralty court, but Penn, Jr. did not stay long; he was soon off to the New World to found the state of Pennsylvania.
Just off the coast of the Old Head of Kinsale -- about 8km (5 miles) west of the town -- a German submarine sank the Lusitania in 1915. More than 1,500 people were killed, and many are buried in a local cemetery.
