A little bit of country and a brief stop in Kinsale, Co. Cork : Travel Reminiscences

10 day self-drive tour of Ireland : October 2009

We drove from Mizen Head back to Cork along the coast road through Skibbereen and Clonakilty and several villages in-between,  stopping at Kinsale for a quick look

Beautiful fuchsia hedges line many, many roads in Ireland… mainly in the southern regions, I noticed.   I wish my fuchsias looked like this !!!!  Too beautiful .. and tall!

We were following our GPS, once again, and once again, ‘Jane’  decided to take us on ‘the scenic route’  around an entire lake, before linking back to the main road!!  It was pretty though 😉

Unfortunately, hubby and I didn’t stay long in the Kinsale, which is a such pity, as it is said to be the prettiest small town in Ireland. It’s famous for its cuisine and many wonderful restaurants, pubs and wine bars.  The town’s annual Festival of Fine Foods attracts food lovers from far and wide.  The harbour is situated on the estuary of the Bandon River.  Kinsale is host to a number of international sailing events throughout the year

 

Memorial to Timothy and Mortimer McCarthy, brothers from Lower Cove, Kinsale:

Timothy on left:  1888-1917 – Member of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans Antarctic Expedition on the Endurance.. was trapped in pack ice for 15months .. selected as one of six men who made a famous epic 800 mile voyage in an open boat in the worst seas in the world from Elephant Island to South Georgia to help rescue their companions .. awarded Bronze Polar Medal .. Died at gun post when tanker ‘Narraganett’ was torpedoed.

Mortimer on right:  1882-1967 – Member of Sir Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition on the ‘Aurora’ to the Antartic and the ill-fated expedition to the South Pole .. received a Silver Polar Medal for his exploits.. donated a harpoon gun from the expedition to the Kinsale Museum… settled and lived his life in New Zealand.

We should have stayed longer .. to wander just a little further into the town   🙁

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