It rained in Kinsale

BUT...that's okay! Because it was the only rainy day I experienced in Ireland in the last 2 weeks... so I can have one.

Kinsale is a beautiful small town about 20 minutes south west of Cork. My cousin and I went there to visit a family friend of his, eat at Fishy Fishy and to see Charles Fort. I'm sure it would have been much more beautiful on a sunny day, but like I said, I really can't complain.

Kinsale (Irish: Cionn tSáile) is a town in County Cork, Ireland. Located some 25 km south of Cork City on the coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon and has a population of 2,257 which increases substantially during the summer months when the tourist season is at its peak and when the boating fraternity arrive in large numbers.

Cute little town...
Fishing town...

This is what they call the Car Train in Kinsale... a tourist trap I didn't get caught in, but very cooL!

I was told I had to go here...but couldn't because of time constraints. So this is for you... if you're ever in Kinsale, go here.

Perhaps the best-known historical attraction in Kinsale, Charles Fort, is on the road just beyond Summercove. It is open all year, and regular guided tours are available. Charles Fort is one of the finest surviving examples of a 17th Century star-shaped fort, and much of the construction begun in 1678 remains. The fort has two enormous bastions overlooking the estuary, and three facing inland. Within its walls were all the barracks and ancillary facilities to support the fort's garrison. The fort continued in military use until 1922.

My cousin and I were given a great historical overview regarding the fort... pretty neato!

Charles Fort (Irish: Dún Chathail) is a star fort located on the water's edge, at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove, onKinsale harbour, County Cork, Ireland.^[1] James' Fort is located on the other side of the harbour.

Charles Fort is built on the site of an earlier stronghold known as Ringcurran Castle, which featured prominently during the Siege of Kinsale in 1601. The fort, which is named after Charles II, was designed by the Surveyor-general Sir William Robinson - architect of the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.^[2] The fort was built in the 1670s and 1680s to a star fortification design - a layout specifically designed to resist attack by cannon.

The in-land bastions of the fort however are overlooked by higher ground. A fact which was of critical importance when the fort was besieged by the Duke of Marlborough in 1690 during the Williamite War in Ireland.^[3] Repairs were made following the siege,^[4] and the fort remained in use as a British Army barracks for several hundred years afterwards.

An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century by Robert Reading.^[5]

The fort was relinquished by British forces following the Anglo-Irish Treaty, but it fell out of use after being burned by the retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War in 1922. The complex was named a National Monument of Ireland in 1971^[4] and has been partly restored by Dúchas, the Irish heritage service.

Cuzzo Mikail doing the star formation, the same shape as the fort!
This is a really well known restaurant I was recommended to eat at by numerous people... and it's my cousin's favorite, so we did!

MMMmmmmm..I had John Dory fish with broccoli and citrus sauce. Divine.