Exploring the South Coast

Have spent the past several days rambling around the southern coast. First day trip was to the seaport of Youghal (pronounced "Yawl") - one of the original Viking and Norman settlements along this stretch of coast. Pretty little place as you can see.

The old Clock Tower on Main St. only dates from the 1700's so it's fairly new as historic buildings go around here. Used to hang condemned prisoners from the windows on the second floor according to local lore - including 12 in one day during the rising of 1798.

Asked about historic walking tours at the Tourist Information building and they introduced us to Clive - this little leprechaun of a guy who also happened to be the official Town Crier. Gave us a great individualized tour around the historic sites of the ancient city. We peppered him with questions for nearly two hours and I think we wore him out  - he was pretty tired by the end of the tour.Those stairs to the right go up onto the old city walls - first built in the late 1100's soon after the Normans moved in to displace the Vikings.

The Water Gate used to be the only entrance into the town from the seaport beyond. This was the route taken by Oliver Cromwell in 1650 to access the city, which he used as a base from which to brutally subdue the rest of Ireland. Old Oliver is still a much hated Brit around these parts - the Irish do know how to hold a grudge.

One historic building of note was Myrtle Wood - an old manor house which was given to Sir Walter Raleigh by Elizabeth I in the late 1500's as his reward for helping to defeat the Spanish Armada in 1588. It formed the centerpiece of his vast property grant and, according to local legend, it was in the gardens just behind the house that he planted the first corn and (notably) potatoes in Ireland.


On the short drive from to Kinsale we stopped off for the day in another seaport town called Cobh (pronounced "Cove"), which used to be one of the major ports of the British Empire. It's notable as the last port of call for the Titanic in 1912 - it was from here that virtually all of the 3rd Class passengers embarked on the fatal voyage. For those of us with Irish ancestry, there's more than a 50% chance that our ancestors departed from here, since it was the major port of embarkation during the famine years when over a million destitute Irish fled for the New World. The first immigrant to ever be processed thru Ellis Island departed from Cobh in 1889. And it was to Cobh that victims of the Lusitania were brought in 1915 after that ship was torpedoed off the Old Head of Kinsale nearby.

Colorful place - looking up at the town from the waterside promenade. Just behind me is the quay from which the tenders ran last-minute cargo and passengers out to the Titanic before she sailed away into legend .

The memorial to the Lusitania in the city square. It was international outrage over the sinking of this unarmed passenger liner that eventually drew the US into WWI, although there is modern evidence that suggests that the ship was carrying contraband war munitions and therefore would have been a legitimate target after all.

St. Colman's Cathedral. One of the last Titanic photos shows the city skyline from one of the tenders...with the church still uncrowned by the steeple, which wasn't completed until 1915.


For the last several days we've been staying in the village of Kinsale (pronounced "Jacksonville" (just kidding)), another beautiful seaport with a ton of history going back to Viking days. Its place in Irish history was secured by the Battle of Kinsale which was fought here in 1601. The last Spanish Armada sailed here to join with several Irish Chieftans trying to defeat the Brits, but the battle was a resounding defeat for the Spanish/Irish alliance and resulted in 300 more years of Irish subjugation by the British Empire. The town really trades on that history too - there are restaurants and pubs all over town with names referencing the 1601 battle.

A view of the town from the pretty, winding shore walk that started just behind our cottage.

The end point of the 6K walk was Charles Fort - built in the late 1600's.

The shoreline walk continued another 2 K beyond the fort, which presented nice views of the place looking back from the water.

The real reward for doing the walk out to the fort was this little pub about halfway along the trail in the tiny village of Summercove - looked like something from the set of "Waking Ned Devine". Anyway, we stopped in for lunch, and I also sampled the local brew called Murphy's..went down real easy.

One famed local landmark is the Spaniard  pub (and restaurant) which was right across the street from where we were staying - had to try a Murphy's there too. It's one of several places in town with names that refer to the 1601 battle...the signboard features a portrait of the Admiral who commanded the Spanish fleet. 

Have actually seen the sun the past couple of days which made for some pleasant days out and about. Supposed to turn cool, rainy and windy tomorrow, however, just in time for our drive out west to the Beara peninsula where we'll be for the next week.