Things to do in Kinsale
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Jola's
With double-height ceilings, exposed brick walls and a stunning chandelier, Jola Wojtowicz's restaurant brings a dash of metropolitan style to Kinsale. The food is equally adept, confidently marrying Eastern European and Irish cuisine. The pierogi (dumplings) made with Clonakilty black pudding are divine, but are merely preparation for the mouth-watering mains, which include a particularly lovely dish of lamb cutlets with basil and walnut pesto.
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Charles Fort
One of the best-preserved 17th-century star-shaped forts in Europe, this wonderful fortress would be worth a visit for its spectacular views alone. But there's much more here: ruins inside the vast site date from the 18th and 19th centuries and make for some fascinating wandering. Displays explain the typically tough lives led by the soldiers who served here and the comparatively comfortable lives of the officers. Built in the 1670s to guard Kinsale Harbour, the fort was in use until 1921, when much of it was destroyed as the British withdrew. The best way to get here is to walk – follow the signs on the lovely walk around the bay from Scilly to Summercove, 3km east of Ki…
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Church of Ireland Church
St Multose is the patron saint of Kinsale, and the Church of Ireland church is one of Ireland’s oldest, built around 1190 by the Normans on the site of a 6th-century church. Not much of the interior is original but the exterior is preserved beautifully. The graveyard has some interesting large family tombs, and several victims of the Lusitania sinking are also buried there. Inside, a flat stone carved with a round-handed figure was traditionally rubbed by fishermen’s wives to bring their husbands home safe from the sea.
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Desmond Castle
Kinsale's roots with the old wine trade are on display at this early 16th-century fortified house that was occupied by the Spanish in 1601. Since then it has served as a customs house, as a prison for French and American captives and as a workhouse during the Famine. There are lively exhibits detailing its history and a small wine museumthat tells the story of the Irish wine-trading families, including names like Hennessy (of brandy fame), who fled to France because of British rule.
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Otto's Creative Cooking
You have to book at this remote spot at a stunning location near Butlerstown. There's plenty of choice on the set menus, with all the produce locally sourced and much of it organic and coming from Otto's itself. A four-course lunch is available for around €35, a five-course dinner for around €55. Why not make a night of it and stay in one of the individually decorated guestrooms (around €110/€130 for a single/double) reserved for diners?
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Fishy Fishy Cafe
Arguably the best seafood restaurant in the country has a wonderful setting, with stark white walls splashed with bright artwork and a terrific decked terrace at the front. All the fish is caught locally; have the cold seafood platter, a tasty spectacle that's a concert of what's fresh. Scallops are dollops of goodness. Front-of-house staff are charmers, but waitstaff can look tired. The Fishy Fishy empire also includes a superb fish 'n' chip shop.
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Jim Edwards
Like many places in Kinsale, this much-frequented eatery has bar food of a restaurant standard. A steady Irish touch is nicely frothed with European influences. In the bar you may need to fight for attention amid the clamour, but once served you'll want to stay all night. The restaurant specialises in steaks and fish, and does an excellent seafood platter for around €30.90.
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E Kirby 66
An old neighbourhood pub has been reborn and has a welcoming dinner menu of Italian classics. It’s great for when you want to say no to mussels and say yes to spaghetti and meatballs. There’s excellent pizza and, in a nod to local tradition, fine seafood ravioli. By day this charmer is good for a coffee and a pause along the gentrifying street.
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Regional Museum
This nifty museum is based in the 17th-century courthouse that was used for the inquest into the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. The museum contains information on the disaster, as well as curiosities as diverse as Michael Collins' hurley and shoes belonging to the eight-foot-tall Kinsale Giant.
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Bulman
This is seaside eating at its best. Escape from central Kinsale to this gastro pub in an unspoilt harbourside venue, where salty informality is a style in its own right. Seafood excels here, whether swimming in chowder or laid out seductively on a platter. Much of everything is sourced locally; herbs are right from the kitchen garden.
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Vintage Restaurant
The décor may be a little fusty these days but the Vintage is one of the reasons that Kinsale deserves its gourmet label, with prices that are truly justifiable. Unbeatable dishes range from oyster starters to mains of lobster in brandy or sea bass in white port crème; fish that demand a magic touch - and get it.
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Kinsale Harbour Cruises
For sailings to Charles Fort, James Cove and up the Bandon River phone Kinsale Harbour Cruises. Departure times vary through the year and are weather dependent - check the website or with the tourist office for details. The boats leave from Denis Quay on Pier Rd, at the southern end of town.
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Dillons
Bright, inviting Dillons serves interesting variations on Irish staples in its bistro-style dining room. The emphasis is on meat (for example, Skeaglianore duck breast and roast quail), but there are interesting fish and veggie options too. Credit cards are not accepted.
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Max's Wine Bar
Behind the brilliant red traditional wooden facade is a restaurant popular with locals that combines French influences with the best Irish produce and seafood. The menu changes regularly but the wine list doesn't (at least in concept): it's always vast and alluring.
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Fishy Fishy Shop
The casual retail outlet for the vaunted restaurant, you can pause here on your Kinsale ramble for just a superb coffee but, really, you’ll want some of the best fish and chips in town, or one of the other treats. Tables are located both inside and out.
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Vista Wine Bar
This shiny modern bar has spectacular views over the marina, and diners can enjoy the rhythmic clank, clank, clank of rigging banging on boats. Come for quiches and the baking at lunch, tapas in the evening (from 6pm) and wine and coffee any time of day.
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Hoby's
More excellent Irish-European cuisine is served at this swish place. Subtle colours, thoughtful seating, candlelight and friendly service make you feel that it's all just for you. A three-course set menu is available for around €28.50.
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Harbour Bar
Romping home in Kinsale's 'most unusual bar' stakes, this is like being in someone's front room. Battered old sofas, a fire stoked in the hearth, characters in every corner and benches with water views in the garden are all part of the charm.
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Man Friday
Around the harbour walk in relaxing Scilly, this veteran seafood restaurant has outdoor seating with views back across the harbour to Kinsale. Book if you want a terrace table on balmy evenings. Just the walk down to the entrance is magical.
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Dino’s
People happily spill out over the surrounding sidewalks at this nautically themed chippy and family restaurant. Besides fish and chips, Dino’s does breakfasts (€7). Plop down on the low wall and enjoy marina views.
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Muddy Mahers
The big bar meals here are good and tasty. The menu includes plenty of meat dishes, veggie options, a great ocean chowder, an even better fish pie and well-filled sandwiches, including the Holy Cow! steak special.
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Casino House
The bright, simply decorated farmhouse overlooking the sparkling bay is the perfect setting for the modern Irish cuisine of Casino House. Local produce is used in every dish. It’s just off the R600.
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De Teac
The pub menu has gone a hair upmarket, but this is still a rollicking local boozer, where locals prance in and out as if it were their living room (actually it is) and the regulars all their family.
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Spaniard Bar & Restaurant
This is a classic pub on Scilly, with low ceilings and a peat fire, so why not crack open some crab claws or settle for a sandwich at the bar. Prices for most dishes at the bar are around €10; there's a pricier restaurant upstairs, which serves more or less the same food as downstairs but doesn't have half the atmosphere.
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