Day 3 - Kinsale and Killarney

This morning we departed Cork and drove to the town of Kinsale, a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately 25 km (16 mi) south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon. 

Kinsale is a holiday destination for both Irish and overseas tourists. The town is known for its restaurants,including the Michelin-starred Bastion restaurant, and holds a number of annual gourmet food festivals. We ate at a food truck that was recommended by our waiter at our hotel in Cork.

I finally got to experience the narrow roads and streets everyone warned me of in Ireland. The streets sure were narrow in Kinsale with acute turns and jutting buildings. It was exasperated by large numbers of illegally parked cars taking up the travel lane. The mighty Peugeot SUV which I think is powered by three hamsters on a wheel performed admirably.

We got parked without a scratch or loss of wing mirror. In the parking lot, I noticed special parking spots for seniors when you just have a hard time parking between the lines anymore!

There was lots of action in the harbour as the Kinsale Yacht Club was hosting the 2024 Dragon Class gold Cup with 63 boats from about 10 different countries as far away as Japan competing. Today was their practice day and they were just getting ready to head out when we arrived.

The yacht club is housed in a very old stone building on the main street.

The small downtown was packed with an interesting variety of shops which we spent an hour of so wandering through.

After stopping at the fish and chip truck, we drove to Charles Fort which was a massive star shaped fortification overlooking the harbour. This was originally built in the late 1600's and restored in the 1980's.

We spent an hour or so there then drove to our end destination for today, a B&B in Killarney. This was a little easier drive with most roadways of normal width.

Our B&B was close enough to the downtown we were able to walk there in about 10 minutes for supper. We had a nice dinner at a hotel and then went for a stroll on Main St. Wow, scores of bars restaurants and lots of people enjoying Saturday night. And just in case you see something that shocks you and the 'ol ticker stops, a convenient defibrulator!