This article is about the town in Ireland. There is also a Kinsale,
Montserrat
On the quayside at Kinsale
Market Street in Kinsale, one of the town's oldest thoroughfares
Kinsale (Irish: Cionn tSáile) is a town in
County Cork, Ireland. It is located some
25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and
has a resident population of 2,257. This increases substantially during the Summer months when the tourist season is at its
peak and when the boating fraternity arrive in large numbers.
Kinsale is a popular holiday resort for Irish and foreign tourists which is known for its many gourmet restaurants and excellent leisure activities including yachting, sea angling, and golf. The town is also rich in culture with its art galleries and has
a first class school of English. The town is compact with a quaint air of antiquity in the narrow streets, all of which
intersect. There is an extensive yachting marina close to the town centre which attracts large numbers of sailing enthusiasts. A
number of hotels cater for the tourists, namely, the Blue Haven, The White Lady, The Trident and Actons on the Harbour's edge.
While the Carlton overlooking Oysterhaven Bay, 3 km from town is the newest addition to the burgeoning hospitality sector.
History
In 1601, Kinsale was the site of a battle in which English forces defeated an
Irish/Spanish force, led by the princes Hugh Roe O'Donnell and Hugh O'Neill. Following this battle the Flight of the Earls
occurred in which a number of the native Irish aristocrats, including the Earls of Tyrone and Tir Conaill abandoned their lands
and fled to mainland Europe.
In 1690, James II of England, following his defeat at the Battle of the Boyne, departed to France.
Charles Fort, located at Summer Cove and
dating from 1677, is a fortification that guards the entrance to Kinsale harbour. It was built to protect the area and
specifically the harbour from use by the French and Spanish in the
event of a landing in Ireland. James's Fort is located on the other side of the cove, on
the Castlepark peninsula. An underwater chain used to be strung between the two forts across
the harbour mouth during times of war to scuttle enemy shipping by ripping the bottom out of incoming vessels.
When the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German
U-boat on May 7, 1915, rescue
efforts were co-ordinated out of Kinsale, which was the nearest harbour. A statue in the harbour commemorates the effort.
Fair Trade town
On October 8, 2005, Kinsale became Ireland's second
Fair Trade Town, with Clonakilty being the first.
Public transport
Bus Éireann provides Kinsale's only means of public transport. Buses regularly operate
from Kinsale to Cork City, with most of these going through Cork Airport on the way.
Kinsale RFC
Kinsale rugby football club has recently celebrated its 25th annerversiary. In the 2005/06 season kinsale seconds team were
unlucky not to make it to a junior 3 final. The 2007/08 season has seen major developments within the club, their is now a
stronger underage system, a womens team and competitive squad of players which intially seems to be rewarded by good results for
both the first and seconds junior mens team.
Transition towns
Kinsale is the first transition town in Ireland. It is a community based group, supported by Kinsale town council. It looks
for sustainble solutions to the challenges of peak oil and climate change. It has taken much guidance from the Kinsale energy decent plan 2021, which has further
spawned over 20 transition towns in England and Scotland.
See also
External links
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