James's Fort

The siege of Kinsale (Irish: Léigear Chionn tSáile), also known as the battle of Kinsale, was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of the Nine Years' War—a campaign by Hugh O'Neill, Hugh Roe O'Donnell and other Irish lords against English rule. Owing to Spanish involvement and the strategic advantages to be gained, the battle also formed part of the Anglo-Spanish War, the wider conflict of Protestant England against Catholic Spain.

The Castlepark peninsula in Kinsale harbour on the coast of County Cork, on the south coast of Ireland is really more a presque-isle than a peninsula, being joined to the mainland only by an extremely narrow neck at its north-western corner. Thus, the Castlepark peninsula is almost surrounded by water: the River Bandon, flowing from the north-west, bounds the peninsula on the north; the entrance to Kinsale harbour bounds the peninsula on the east; the Atlantic Ocean bounds it to the south; and the tidal inlet known as Sandycove Creek bounds the peninsula on the west. Most traffic into Castlepark now arrives via the Duggan Bridge, built in 1976, which crosses the River Bandon from the northern, Kinsale, bank just east of the neck which joins the peninsula to the mainland.Among the old buildings on the peninsula are: James's Fort (early 17th century); Ringrone Castle (12th or 13th century), a former seat of the Barons Kingsale; and the ruins of Ringrone Church, the latter surrounded by an ancient graveyard that is still in use.Court records from the later seventeenth century show that much of the land was held by two families, the Brocketts and the Bathursts, both fairly recently arrived from England. A series of lawsuits testify to the poor relations between the two families. Located within the parish of Courceys, the peninsula, which has an area of a little under 500 acres (2.0 km2), contains three townlands: James's Fort, Castlepark and Castlelands. The James's Fort townland, which contains James's Fort, is, itself, a peninsula, protruding out of the north-eastern corner of the Castlepark peninsula. On the western side of the neck which joins the James's Fort peninsula to the main Castlepark peninsula, there is a marina; on the eastern side of the neck, there is a sandy beach; a small village, most of whose houses were built in the 1970s although some date back to at least the early 19th century, straddles the neck. The rest of the peninsula consists of farmland with scattered housing. Most of the land is used for tillage (cereals and sugar beet), although there is some grazing of cattle and sheep. By the late 1990s, only one of the farms was still involved in dairying. Sandycove Island, at the mouth of Sandycove Creek, is uninhabited; a herd of goats grazes the island so, presumably, fresh water is available.

The Kinsale Yacht Club was founded in 1953. It is located in Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 120 nautical miles from Wales, 240 from North West France and 500 from the Galician Coast of North Spain. It is 30 km by road from Cork, Ireland's second city.

Kinsale ( kin-SAYL; Irish: Cionn tSáile, meaning 'head of the brine') is a historic port and fishing town in County Cork, Ireland. Located approximately 25 km (16 mi) south of Cork City on the southeast coast near the Old Head of Kinsale, it sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, and has a population of 5,281 (as of the 2016 census) which increases in the summer when tourism peaks. Kinsale is a holiday destination for both Irish and overseas tourists. The town is known for its restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Bastion restaurant, and holds a number of annual gourmet food festivals.As a historically strategic port town, Kinsale's notable buildings include Desmond Castle (associated with the Earls of Desmond and also known as the French Prison) of c. 1500, the 17th-century pentagonal bastion fort of James Fort on Castlepark peninsula, and Charles Fort, a partly restored star fort of 1677 in nearby Summercove. Other historic buildings include the Church of St Multose (Church of Ireland) of 1190, St John the Baptist (Catholic) of 1839, and the Market House of c. 1600. Kinsale is in the Cork South-West (Dáil Éireann) constituency, which has three seats.

Summer Cove is part of Kinsale town on the Kinsale harbour, on the south coast of Ireland; it faces westwards across the entrance of the harbour to the Castlepark peninsula. Charles's Fort is located on the southern edge Summercove, at the water's edge. The Bulman pub, located at the centre of Summercove, is one of Ireland's best-known bars, having won Black and White Pub of the Year in 2002 and 2004. It is one of Kinsale's most affluent areas and attracts many tourists for its high-quality views of Kinsale town and surrounding lands.

Charles Fort (Irish: Dún Chathail) is a trace italienne fortification, a bastion fort with one section of the outer wall built in star fashion. It is located at the southern end of the village of Summer Cove, on Kinsale harbour, County Cork, Ireland. First completed in 1682, Charles Fort was sometimes historically referred to as the "new fort" - to contrast with James' Fort (the "old fort") which had been built on the other side of Kinsale harbour before 1607. The fort is now operated as a heritage tourism site by the Heritage Ireland arm of the Office of Public Works.

Bastion is a restaurant (also described as a wine bar-cum-bistro) in Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. It was awarded a Michelin star for 2020.

The Church of St Multose is a Church of Ireland church located in Kinsale in Ireland. It is a cruciform church with a crypt. The current structure dates from the 1190s up to major additions in the 1750s with further renovations into the twentieth century.

Kinsale Community School is based in the town of Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland. It caters for around 1550 students aged 12–18 with around 160 staff and the principal is currently Mr. Fergal McCarthy.

Desmond Castle (Irish: Caisleán Deasmhumhan) is a tower house located in the town of Kinsale in County Cork, Ireland.

The River Bandon (Irish: Abhainn na Bandan, from ban-dea, meaning "goddess") is a river in County Cork, Ireland. The Bandon rises at Nowen Hill (one of the Shehy Mountains), to the north of Drimoleague. The river then flows to Dunmanway, before turning eastward towards the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskean. It then makes its way through the centre of Bandon town, and on to Innishannon and Kilmacsimon, before draining into Kinsale Harbour on Ireland's south coast. Tributaries include the Sally River and the Brewery River at Dunmanway, the "Small Blackwater" near Ballineen, and the Bridewell River at Bandon. The river is crossed by a total of 15 bridges (including two footbridges). There were also four railway bridges, one of which is still intact (on farmland near Dunmanway). The remains of the others—near Murragh, Bandon, and Innishannon—consist only of abutments and/or piers, with the spans having been removed.

Sandycove Island (Cnoc an Rois in Irish) is a small island and townland at the mouth of Ardkilly Creek on the south coast of Ireland, just to the west of the Castlepark peninsula, which forms the western side of the entrance to Kinsale harbour in County Cork. It is located directly opposite the tiny hamlet of Sandycove (population around 100) and no more than 200 metres (656 ft) off the shore. The island is uninhabited except for a herd of feral goats which has grazed on the island for generations, an indication that there is probably a reliable source of fresh water on the island. Over the centuries a number of ships have foundered on the rocks off the island, including the 147-ton brig Eliza which went aground on the island in 1826.The Sandycove Island Challenge is an open-water swimming race. It has been held annually since 1994. The course is from the slipway at Sandycove on the mainland, around Sandycove Island and back to the slipway. The total distance is approximately 1,600m. If sea conditions are unsuitable on the day, a more sheltered course is followed.