You must love Kinsale!

Kinsale is located only about 30 minutes away from the Cork airport and really worth a visit. The town and its surroundings are one of the most picturesque in Ireland and it has so much to offer. Kinsale is well known for yachting, angling, golf and its many restaurants with locals, Irish and international tourists. 

Having lived near Kinsale for a while now, I want to share things I love about Kinsale:

• Harbour and narrow streets. I love taking walks around the harbour, exploring the narrowing streets, stopping by at cute crafts shops and visiting art galleries displaying local art.

• History. The two forts - Charles Fort and James Fort across of each other are definitively worth a visit. There are easy to walk to from Kinsale town.

• Cake and coffee. There are so many nice cafes in the town. My favourite cafes are

• the Poet's Corner with its book exchange service, 
• the Lemon Leaf Cafe with a great choice of cakes, snacks and free wifi, and the 
• Perryville Garden Tea Room - very elegant and traditionally style.

• Eating out. I can truly say that eating out is always a pleasure. The restaurants serve fresh seafood and local produce.  My favourites are
• the Fishy Fishy Cafe  for a special occasions - always a pleasure and never disappointing,
• the Spaniard Inn - a traditional Irish pub with great food and atmosphere,and
• Blue Haven Bar & Cafe for a cozy evening with friends.
 
• Old Head. Head out towards Ballinspittle and Old Head, park your car at the Speckled Door Pub and walk the 5.5 km long Old Head peninsula loop. You will pass the famous Old Head Golf Course about half way. The views are stunning!

• Beaches. There are two gorgeous beaches just beside each other near the Old Head and if you head towards Ballinspittle - Garrylucas and Gerretstown. While Garrylucas is very popular with swimmers and kite surfers, Gerretstown would be the surfer's beach where surf lessons can be taken. In the summer time you can get coffe and snacks in Gerretstown or the Beach Cafe between the town beaches.

Best Fish Restaurants in West Cork

Here is my top 5 list of the best fish restaurants in West Cork, Ireland:

All of these restaurants provide freshly caught local seafood and each of them is in its way special!

• Mary Ann's Bar & Seafood Restaurant in Casteltownshend serves pub & restaurant food and has a large outside area. The dinner menu includes a wide selection of fish, their speciality are lobster thermidor or lobster mayonnaise. The food usually comes with veggies, chips & gratin potatoes (love it!). Check also out their gallery in the first floor!

• Deasy's Harbour Bar & Seafood Restaurant in Ring just 5 mins from Clonakilty has a lovely view over the Clonakilty Bay and a nice and relaxing atmosphere. The menu changes regularly and offers creative fish and meat dishes. Dishes come with veggies and potatoes. Don't miss out on the dessert!

• Fishy Fishy Cafe in Kinsale is a bright and stylish restaurant influenced by the European mainland cousin with an own cook book and a open area. Dishes come usually with veg or salad. 

• Fastnet Catch across the church in Clonakilty is a special fish & chips shop with a great selection of burgers & fresh fish depending on the catch of the day. All is freshly prepared with your order and you can sit in or take away.

• Dunes Pub in the Inchydoney Lodge & Spa serves a fair big but delicious portion of fish & chips in a great setting! Besides the fish & chips, my favourites on the menu are the cheese sandwich and the side salad. Oh, and the hot chocolate is also not to be forgotten. In nice weather there are cozy outside places available.

I would recommend to make a reservation in advance on weekends to avoid disappointment.

And, if you are looking for a nice fish restaurant somewhere else on the island check out the Seafood Circle - you never go wrong with a restaurant which is listed in it!