June 14 Kinsale

Take a look at the sign. The top words are in Gaelic.

Our group took a tour of historic Kinsale and nearby Charles Fort. This little town and fort was the site of the defeat of two Irish clans and Spanish troops by the British in 1601. Charles Fort was occupied by the British until Irish independence in 1922. It was a beautiful, blue-sky day - what a great day to be on this hill overlooking Kinsale Harbor.

Inside Charles Fort

View of Kinsale Harbor.  It has been in use before the Viking arrived.

After lunch we did some shopping and took a walk along Pier Road to see the boats and yachts in the harbor.  We found the signs directing motorists to Bandon, Ireland, the town that Bandon in SW Oregon is named after.

On our way back to the hotel we stopped to tour St. Multose Church, featuring many grave sites of those who died in 1915 when the Germans torpedoed the Lusitania 10 miles from the harbor.

We were also able to tour the Kinsale Regional Museum, which houses relics from the Lusitania, and a display of personal objects belonging to Kinsale's 8'3" giant who lived here in the 1700's.

These are only a few of the colorful houses and shops in Kinsale.