Cobh to Kinsale

Leaving Cork

The sun is actually out. Yeah!

We check out of our Airbnb in Cork and walk to the car park, passing the pubs we were at last night. It costs 45 euros (about $68 CAD) for 1 1/2 days of parking in the car park. Ouch.

And we are off to Cobh.

Cobh

We pass an old, stone defense tower along the water. There are many of these towers in Ireland but this one has a tree growing on its roof.

Cobh is a historical coastal town in Cork Harbour. It was the last stop for the Titanic before departing on its fateful journey. The Lusitania was also torpedoed and sunk nearby with many of the survivors and the recovered bodies of the drowned being brought to Cobh.

There is a Titanic Museum here but we plan to go to the larger one in Belfast later in the trip.

The soaring spire of St. Colman’s Cathedral is what immediately catches my eye as we drive in to Cobh. The cathedral dwarfs the town.

This is such a picturesque place. Colourful houses nicknamed “Deck of Cards” line a steep hill.

There is a Norwegian cruise ship docked in the harbour. A beautiful monument to the victims of the sinking of the Lusitania is the focal point of the waterfront square.
Of course we have to check out Cobh’s cathedral. John and I light candles for our parents.

Kinsale

Next we are on our way to Kinsale and pass a sign that says: “Welcome to the Wild Atlantic Way”.

Kinsale is yet another gorgeous coastal town which sits at the mouth of the Brandon River. It’s harbour leads right out to the sea which is why two forts were built to protect its harbour,

We were lucky to get an early check in at Long Quay House. This is our splurge accomodation for the trip.

Scilly Walk

The sun is beaming and everyone seems to be out enjoying it. We start the Scilly Walk towards Charles Fort. Everyone seems to be walking their dogs. The views along our way are beautiful. I keep my eyes open but unfortunately don’t see any seals or dolphins.

I spot a tiny door in the cement at the side of the path stairs…could it belong to a fairy or leprechaun?

Charles Fort

There are large numbers of crows in the area. I love these birds which are so intelligent (and so cute).

John seems to really enjoy touring Charles Fort (built in 1677) and it’s military history.

I am enjoying the views. I can see the ruins of the much older James Fort, across the harbour.The Battle of Kinsale took place here in 1601. Spanish soldiers landed in Kinsale to fight along with the Irish who were rebelling against English rule. The English were the victors.

Around the Town

We return to our hotel and spend the rest of the afternoon exploring this quaint town and it’s waterfront.

It had been suggested that we go to The Spaniard Inn for traditional music. We decided to eat there in order to get a good seat (and because they serve local mussels) but we found out that they don’t do music on Saturday nights and when we got there they didn’t have any tables so we looked around for a restaurant near our hotel.

I had a delicious supper of local mussels and a glass of mead at Jim Edwards Gastropub. Even the screaming kid at the next table couldn’t diminish my enjoyment of the meal.

We find a pub that has live music by “The Ferrymen” at 8:30pm. Once there we learn that the music is being pre-empted by the World Rugby semifinal between England and South Africa. Ireland has already been eliminated but the Irish seem to be rugby crazy even if the matches do not involve their team.

Some locals recommend “Kitty O’Se” for music at 10pm. Hopefully rugby will be over by then.

We go back to our bed and breakfast where John watches the rugby match and I fall asleep.