Cork to Kinsale - Day 4

Monday, July 17, 2017

Today was a casual day with no scheduled tours. Our plan was to take a public bus to Kinsale just to walk around, have lunch and enjoy the ambiance of this seaside town.

We arrived at the station in plenty of time, so I decided to walk around Cork. Although this is our base, we haven't done much sightseeing here, but not because it is lacking.  On the contrary, we have found it to be a lively, modern and energetic city with great restaurants and plenty of shopping, for those interested. This is a view of the city looking across the River Lee to the St. Patrick's Bridge. The other is the main shopping square. 

The city, the second largest in Ireland, has about 125,000 residents and has several major high tech companies. Apple made it its European headquarters more than 30 years ago.

Cork derives its name from the marshy land on the banks of the River Lee. Its Irish name Corcaigh means marsh but the English changed it to Cork. The city center is on an island between two arms of the river.

We caught the 11 am bus to Kinsale, which made several stops along the way. We arrived at noon and decided to eat lunch first at the famous Fishy Fishy restaurant, highlighted by Rick Steves and others. 

Then we just walked around the town and the waterfront. It is considered one of the prettiest small towns in the country and the warm, sunny day enhanced its appeal. Situated on the estuary of the Brandon River, Kinsale was an important port town during the Middle Ages through the 19th century, but today it is a popular yachting center.

We walked past St. Multose Church, built in 1190 but altered numerous times. We also saw Desmond Castle, built in the 16th century, which has been everything from a castle, to a customs house to a French prison. Now it has a wine museum (which we passed on.)

I looked for a view of the harbor and found a small one from the top of a hill in front of a friary.

Then we walked past the colorful storefronts in the old square. Although Kinsale is noted for these, we have seen them in many other towns.

We caught the bus back at 3 and relaxed the rest of the day. I took another walk around Cork and saw the English Market. Built in 1610, it was reserved just for the English for many years. Today it continues to house a wide array of produce, meat and fish stands.

Tonight we went back to Oliver Plunkett's. I had Beef and Beamish Stout Pie and Ed had Bacon and Cabbage. A delightful trio played Irish music while a young couple performed Irish dancing. Well worth the second visit.