Throughout my stay, Irish people or visitors just here for a short time talked a lot to me about a city called Kinsale. They boasted about its colourful streetscapes, its liveliness and its proximity to the sea.
That is why is decided to travel there with another MTU intern for one day to discover if what people said about this city was true.
To get to Kinsale, we took the bus Éireann in front of the city hall for an approximately 50 minutes long trip.
Be careful :
The Éireann buses (Irish bus company) are the only public transport in Kinsale. However, the buses of this company provide regular connections between Kinsale and Cork every hour. But just in case, avoid missing the bus or you will have to wait for another hour..
To pay my trip to Kinsale, I used my Leap Card with the fare "young adult". I paid 2.66 € to go and the same for the return. The total cost was 5.32 €. With the fare "adult" for the Leap Card, you pay 7 € to go and to come back for a total cost of 14 € ! Quite expensive for a one-day trip...
Good to know :
I learned a bit later there was a way to pay less to go to Kinsale. Via the smartphone TFI Go application and by selecting Éireann buses, there is possibility to buy a 0.66 cents student ticket. For an adult ticket, it must be a bit more expensive. This ticket allows you to move around the red area in Cork for a certain time. The red area includes Cork itself and the cities around it such as Ballincollig or Ringaskiddy. However, this ticket also works to reach far destinations like Kinsale ! Indeed, bus drivers validate this ticket as another and you can take any Éireann buses while the validity period of your ticket is ongoing.
Now that you have been warned about the bus and the ticket price, let’s talk about the city where we went. Kinale is a city located in the south of Ireland. More precisely, it is 25 km south of Cork city and is on the coast at the mouth of the Bandon river. It is a historic port and a fishing town whose name Kinsale means "head of the brine" in Gaelic.
Did you know it ?
Kinsale is often called “the Gourmet capital of Ireland”.
When we arrived by bus in the city center of Kinsale, we admired a view over its harbour and yatching marina in the distance.
While wandering through, we noticed a few art galleries. We walked along the edge of the sea on a pier towards our first destination : the Gardens of Remembrance situated on the Castlepark peninsula. To get there, we crossed a bridge over the river Bandon.
The Gardens of Remembrance were at the top of a hill on the Castlepark peninsula. Apparently, they are gardens which commemorate the 11/09/2001 event. On this day, the 11th of September 2001, in the United States, an unprecedented terrorist attack took place. Two planes were hijacked by air pirates and destroyed the World Trade Center twin towers located in the Manhattan neighborhood in New York. Meantime, a third plane crashed on the Pentagon close to Washington and a fourth one crashed in Shanksville, one hundred kilometers away from Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania). The human toll was heavy : around 3 000 people died and 6 000 other are injured. The human toll is important but the trauma left by the event is stronger.
It is with this story in mind that we arrived in sight of the gardens. The big question we were wondering at this moment was : what is the link between Kinsale, small fishing town in Ireland and this event which took place in the United States ?
It was the sign at the entrance of the gardens which gave us the answer. A lady from Kinsale Kathleen Cait Murphy was at this time, a nurse in New York for over 30 years. She was very admiring of the dedication of the firefighters. That is why when 343 of them died in the World Trade Center attack, she decided to build a memorial for them in Ireland in which each planted tree will represent a person. Since the opening of the gardens, lots of people, families or friends came and left photos, flowers, prayers or objects for the deceased.
As the gardens are located at the top of a hill, they offer an amazing view over the river Bandon.
After the gardens, we went towards the Kinsale beach. It is opposite the city of Kinsale on the Castlepark peninsula. The beach looks like a cove and is made of sand. In the distance, Charles Fort stands. The right-hand side of the beach is covered in greenery and makes the setting very picturesque.
By continuing towards the headland of the peninsula, we arrived to a place where James Fort stands. Today, it is a tumble down fort : there is no roof anymore but walls resist still. It is a bastion fort from the 1600s. Located downstream of Kinsale on the river Bandon, it was built to defend the harbour. The areas of James Fort itself are stunning. From there, you have unique views of the harbour, Kinsale town but also Charles Fort. In addition, the fort is surrounded by greenery, promontories and small nature paths.
Good to know :
To get to the headland where James Fort stands from Kinsale, there is a 3 km pedestrian path along the coast. Nevertheless, if you don't want to walk, you can park your car in Castlepark.
Be careful :
It is impossible to enter James fort but you can go around.
James Fort and Charles Fort witness of the Kinsale's past, strategic place at the mouth of the river Bandon, the harbour of Kinsale was the backdrop for several battles such as "the battle of Kinsale".
Afterwards, we came back to Kinsale for an immersion in the heart of its colorful streets. I have to say we weren't lied to : the streets and houses are really as colourful as we were told !
Streets are quite narrow and full of coffee shops and restaurants. Kinsale is without doubt a beautiful city and also rich in history.
In my next post, I will reveal my tips on how to find an internship abroad step by step...
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