The International Student Society at UCC organized a nice day trip for a lot of us international students to get out of Cork City and explore some more of Ireland. We took a quick day trip to Kinsale, a beautiful port town nestled on the coast in County Cork. Kinsale is rich in history and architecture and made for a great day wandering around and looking at beautiful old buildings.
We visited Charles Fort, which was an English fort used up until 1922. It is one of the largest fortresses in the country as well as one of the best representations in all of Europe of a star-shaped fort. The fort was built in the 1670’s to protect the city from threats from the sea. The British fortress remained operational until the 1920’s when Ireland regained independence.
Then we went in to town to walk around.
A Quick History of Kinsale
A quick history of Kinsale that I read in the book “Cork Strolls: Exploring Cork’s Architectural Treasures” by Gregory and Audrey Braken.
Kinsale was the grounds for the Battle of Kinsale in 1602 when the British finally broke the power of the Irish chieftains and gained control of the country. Kinsale later on became an important ship building city in Ireland as well as a naval port for the British.
After independence Kinsale shifted to deep sea fishing and sailing, making it a popular vacation destination in Ireland. It is also now known as the gourmet capital of Ireland, and has many wonderful fish and seafood restaurants.
Walking around the town was a fun adventure with friends. The streets were narrow and winding, lined with small and very colorfully painted houses. After a long day of wandering around we found a nice pub to eat some fish and chips while sitting outside. Then we wandered some more and found a really nice cafe to sit and chat and enjoy the view of the harbor before we hopped on the bus to head back to Cork.
The day’s… Step Count: 19,341 Floors Climbed: 64 Miles Walked: 8.71