Kinsale is the Portafino of Ireland
Kinsale is just 15 kilometres south of the city of Cork but it feels like you have travelled 1500 kilometres such is the distinction between the two places. When you reach Kinsale from whatever direction you arrive, you enter a town that seems to have the chic aura of Nice in the Cote de Azur, or perhaps Portafina on the Amilifi Coast in Italy. You are suddenly in another country, far way from Ireland, you feel. And it is a nice place to be!
There is an air of laid back confidence and independence about this beautiful place; a cosmopolitan ambience that imbues the feeling of being above your status here. Add in the warm breezes provided by the Gulf Stream and shake the cocktail that adds dozens of fine restaurants, superb accommodation, a salubrious marina, a stunning museum, designer boutiques plus colourful friendly pubs and you sip from the most appealing glass that a visitor can partake.
Surrounded by all the stimulating side effects of a maritime town, you overhear all accents from every part of the continent discussing the merits of sailing, fishing, drinking and eating. Happiness and warmth grace this lovely town and it comes from the giving and inviting nature of the locals. You may be a landlubber out of your depth in marine matters but you are treated as a seafarer for just being there. Lack of knowledge is not a detriment as there are many here to educate you joyfully and with the patience that only the grateful enthusiast can tolerate from the naivety of the beginner. (more…)