Further Explorations in Kinsale

Kinsale: 14th September, 2011

Up the hill, Kinsale is dominated by St. Multose church, named after the town’s patron saint. Surprisingly, it’s not a Catholic church, but an Anglican one; the largest one in Ireland.

Hard by the church is a little garden, to commemorate the crew of a fishery protection vessel, lost at sea.. Not a formal garden, though; more a collection of maritime artifacts. Opposite the church stands the ‘Fishy Fishy Shop and Chippy’. We didn’t get a chance to taste their wares, but I defy anyone to pass it, see the name, and not spend the rest of the day humming it to the tune of ‘When the Boat Comes In’.

 

Further up the hill is Desmond Castle. It’s home to the National Museum of Wine. Now, Ireland isn’t exactly famous for wine production. I know of only one vineyard in Ireland, and I’ve heard not very favourable things about the wine. But, there’s a story here that really deserves a separate post, so I’ll leave that till next week.

Since today was Wednesday, a farmers’ market was taking place. It wasn’t very big, but the produce seemed to be of high quality. And, here was a kebab stall, where we had lunch. The kebabs were different to what we’re used to. The meat wasn’t skewered, but minced, and the sandwiches were served with yoghurt and chilis … it made a bit of a mess of my shirt, but it was worth it!