Kinsale and Cork

Another long day of driving, with our final destination being Cork with a stopover in Kinsale. There’s no ‘fast’ way to get between Kenmare and Cork (or at least we didn’t know one), and Google Maps ‘may’ take you down a very narrow, dirt road. You may want to check a map before you head out! Most of the drive was slow going on a two lane road.

Kinsale was a pretty town set on the water and has an English fort from the 1600s called Charles Fort. We did the free tour (every hour) which gave a good overview of the horrible things the English did to the Irish, including some insight into the potato famine and the civil war. The guide was Irish and did not hold back in his feelings towards the ‘invaders’ but in the most light-hearted and informative way possible. I thought the fort was worth the detour but the town itself isn’t overly exciting, though very pretty as it’s set on the water. I should also point out that we were there on a week day in October, so I’m not sure how much activity I was expecting!

After a couple hours in Kinsale, we continued on to Cork. It’s a small city with lots of students and lots of Turkish Barbers (not sure what makes them special, but they were everywhere!). For an early evening drink we went to a cool brewery / sports bar called Rising Sons Brewery. After spending the past four nights in small towns, we were inundated with the various dining options. Going with something completely different than the past four days, we had Asian tapas. I can’t remember the place and not worth trying to find the name for it anyway. It was average at best.

We stayed at a B&B near the University called Fernroyd House. Awesome place, and very deserving of its number one ranking of Trip Advisor. The hosts were absolutely lovely and the walk into town took about 15 minutes, which is mostly along the river.