Cobh and Kinsale

Tuesday, April 28, was another lovely day so we were up at the crack of to get to Cobh (pronounced Cove) as we had tickets for the Titanic Experience at 09.00. We found a great park up next to the waterfront (P4N#13454) and a 15 min walk along the front to the old White Star Line Ticket Office – the last port of call of the Titanic before that fateful night of April 14/15 1912. Cobh used to be called Queenstown, renamed in honour of Queen Victoria’s visit there but was changed to Cobh after independence. Whilst small, it was a well guided tour with lots of artefacts and videos. Good value for money.

After that, we decided we needed sustenance and we were recommended a wee café nearby that did great food. Liz had a beef brisket toastie that nearly defeated her! A quick wander around town to see the sights, including the cathedral and memorial to those lost in the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 in nearby Head of Kinsale.

We had been recommended the Cobh golf course by locals in Waterford so we managed to bag a bargain rate of €30 to play there. Liz had an online meeting so she stayed in the van whilst the rest of us played a challenging course with some wonderful signature holes.

The golf club very kindly allowed us to stay overnight in their car park overlooking the 10th hole so we could see how the locals do it! Simple dinner of chicken, new potatoes and salad.

As per our last stopover at a golf course, the greenkeepers were in early the next morning but this time the noise came from tractors moving huge banks of sand! We left at 09.00 as we wanted to get to Blarney Castle before the hordes of tourists arrived by coach. Jane had never been there so we had to kiss the stone! The Blarney Stone supposedly comes from Scotland and is part of the Scone Stone as thanks from Robert the Bruce in helping Scotland gain its independence but no one can prove it. The castle and grounds were magnificent and not too crowded. We didn’t have to queue long to get to the stone. These days, they hold onto your legs and help you into position. I remember as a kid my dad hanging onto my legs as I dangled in mid air to try and kiss the stone. Mind you, that was nearly 60 years ago!

After a few hours there we drove onto Kinsale, a harbour town with a reputation for excellent food. We parked up above the town at Charles Fort (P4N#24254) as we knew we could stay the night and we had lovely views across the bay to the town. It was a bit blustery though. As we had arrived around 14.30, we knew we had time for a quick tour around the fort before going into town. The exhibitions in the fort really brought the history of the place to life. It was a British garrison for over 200 years after its completion in 1682. Its design was based on the French Vauban fortifications and was involved in the Williamite Wars (William of Orange and the ‘Glorious Revolution’). As we walked into town we passed by a Spanish flag that commemorated the Spanish fleet landing in 1601 and the ensuing Battle of Kinsale.

We then walked into Kinsale to mooch around the shops before having an early dinner at The Black Pig. Jane and Maria opted for the Fishy Fish restaurant. We had a series of excellent tapas dishes including Galway oysters, duck breast, acorn fed Iberico ham and burrata. Washed down by some very nice wine. The evening was polished off with a local whisky in a nearby pub before getting a taxi back to the vans.