Kinsale
Day 3 - June 27, 2017
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After breakfast, we headed to Kinsale. One of the stops along the way was Kilmainham Gaol. Kilmainham Gaol is a historic jail used by the British for political prisoners. It was opened in 1796 as Dublin's county jail and debtors' prison. It was frequently used as a political prison for those fighting for Irish independence. It was finally closed in 1924. In the 1960's it was restored as a museum. Some pictures of our stop are shown on the left.
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DID YOU KNOW that Eamon de Valera was the last political prisoner in Kilmainham Goal. He was released in 1924 and later became president of Ireland.
We left Kilmainham Gaol and headed for the Rock of Cashel, our next stop on our way to Kinsale. The Rock of Cashel sits on a limestone outcropping 200 feet above the Plain of Tipperary. The Rock of Cashel is one of Ireland's most historic sights. It was the seat of the ancient kings of Munster from A.D. 300-1100. It is where St. Patrick baptized King Aengus around A.D. 450. It is strategically located and was therefore fought over by local clans for hundreds of years. In 1101, Murtagh O'Brien gave the Rock to the Church thus preventing his rival, the McCarthy clan, from getting access to the Rock. Some pictures of the visit to the Rock of Cashel are on the right.
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Kinsale is a small, pretty town of 2,500 residents, but thanks to its naturally sheltered bay, it has a lot to offer with its maritime history.
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We arrived at Kinsale and had a group dinner before enjoying an Irish Pub for some music. Here are some pictures to the left.
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Day 4 - June 28, 2017
The next morning we had a walking tour guided by Don Herlihy who brought the history of Kinsale to life. Kinsale is a sleepy but historic town. It has a lot of maritime history thanks to its sheltered bay. It is known for its visit by the Spanish Armada, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, and the Lusitania which sank in 1915. Some pictures of Kinsale from our walking tour are shown to the right.
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DID YOU KNOW Eli Lilly manufactures much of its Prozac just outside of Kinsale?
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After the walking tour of Kinsale, Finnan Toibin gave us a guided tour of Charles Fort. Charles Fort was built to protect Kinsale. It is a star-shaped fort that was state of the art. The British occupied the fort until 1922 when Ireland gained its independence. In 1923, its interior buildings were torched by antitreaty IRA forces to prevent if from being used by Free State troops during the Irish Civil War. After the Charles Fort tour, we had a very nice, scenic walk back to Kinsale. The remainder of the day was ours to enjoy on our own. Take a look on the left for pictures of our Charles Fort visit and our scenic walk back into Kinsale.
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Our day was free after visiting Charles Fort. We had to visit the market and of course try Fish & Chips which we ate overlooking the harbor. That left us enough time to shop and purchase some beautiful crystal made by a local glass cutter. Take a look at the pictures to the right.
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Tomorrow we make our way to Dingle.