Colorful Kinsale
Scenic Harbor Town on Ireland's Southern Coast
Day 4 – Kinsale: An Irish Tidy Town
What's a Tidy Town?
Each year, a competition is held, and prizes are awarded for the most attractive and desirable communities. Kinsale won the overall Irish Tidy Town competition in 1986. Located on a harbor along the southern coast of Ireland, this charming town was filled with flowers, clean streets and friendly cafes and pubs.
Kinsale Walking Tour with Barry Moloney
We gathered near the morning's keg delivery for an inspiring tour with local, Barry Moloney. He was a favorite among the excellent city guides provided on our Rick Steves' tour. Barry had an exuberant way of sharing his love for his town and connecting its history to the present and to our personal experiences.
Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History!
Barry shared the story of Pirate Anne Bonny. Born in Kinsale around 1700, she took to the seas out of the Caribbean with a ruthless band of pirates. The "Stoney Stairs" at right is a perfect addition to Kinsale's colorful town.
St. Multrose – One of the Church of Ireland's Oldest
The bell tower was constructed around 1190 as part of the original Norman structure. Barry pointed out the old doorway and the worn lines scratched on either side. When Oliver Cromwell's soldiers were here in the mid-1600s, they sharpened their swords by running the blades over the stone.
The Lusitania sank off the coast of Kinsale, and some of the victims are buried in the church graveyard.
A memorial stained glass window depicts WWI Lt. Stephen Henry Lewis as a medieval knight meeting his heavenly reward.