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Kristel Hayes

Exploring Ireland: Bantry, Kinsale & Kilkenny

October 11, 2017 By Leave a Comment

The final leg of our Ireland adventure brought us from our idillic “home” in Killarney National Park to Kinsale, with a stop along the way in Bantry. With one night in Kinsale, then one final night in Kilkenny en route to the airport, we were finally winding down to our last few days, and we definitely made the most of them.

Scot was really excited to explore his roots in the beautiful seaside town of Bantry. We followed the history trail through town, and stopped into the visitor’s center, where he was able to pick up literature that would help him continue digging deeper into his family’s history there after we left.

Bantry Bay Low Tide - Ireland
Bantry Bay, Ireland
Wooden Boat Bantry Bay, Ireland

The Funky Skunk-Bantry, Ireland
Downtown Bantry, Ireland
Church of Saint Brendan the Navigator, Wolfe Tone Square-Bantry, Ireland

GW Biggs & Co Shop In Bantry, Ireland

Our next stop, Kinsale, is known for great shopping, and some of the best seafood in Ireland. We spent a beautiful afternoon there enjoying the ocean views, and of course…a few pints.

Kinsale Harbor, Ireland
Window Seat-Kinsale, Ireland
Boat in Kinsale Harbor, Ireland

White Sand Beach and Farmlands-Kinsale, Ireland
Pub Deck-Kinsale, Ireland

Historic Charles Fort stands proudly along the water in Kinsale. Built in 1678, it continued in military use until 1922. With sweeping views (as a fort should have) across the bay, we soaked up some history and fresh air before hitting the road to Kilkenny.

Birds Atop Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Charles Fort Bird-Kinsale, Ireland
Charles Fort Lookout Tower-Kinsale, Ireland

James Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Charles Fort Architecture-Kinsale, Ireland
Textures at Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland

Hazy Day Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Charles Fort Lighthouse-Kinsale, Ireland
Pigeon Atop Crumbling Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland

Charles Fort Textures-Kinsale, Ireland
View From Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Charles Fort Pigeon-Kinsale, Ireland

Nesting Pigeons at Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Irish Flag Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland
Entering Charles Fort-Kinsale, Ireland

This was actually our second stop in Kilkenny, truth be told. We had come here on a day trip from our mooring in Athy while on our barges a couple of weeks earlier. It was fun to already be a bit familiar with the town, because we only had one night here. Our final night in Ireland!

Downtown Kilkenny, Ireland
Kilkenny Castle Balcony - Ireland
Kilkenney Castle from John's Quay - Ireland

Quaint Downtown Kilkenny, Ireland
Blaa Blaa Blaa Coffee Sandwich Shop-Kilkenny, Ireland
Castle Inn Roofline Kilkenny, Ireland

Door Details Kilkenny Castle - Ireland
Kilkenny Castle From John's Bridge - Ireland

From Kilkenny, it was on to Dublin for our return flights home. Speaking candidly, there were tears in my eyes as we flew away and watched the emerald green landscape disappear below the clouds. We left Ireland with our hearts full of incredible memories, and plans to return again someday!

See the rest of my highlights from our Ireland adventures:

Part 1 of 6: Dublin

Part 2 of 6: River Barrow by Narrowboat

Part 3 of 6: Cork City, Cobh, and Spike Island

Part 4 of 6: Galway and Cliffs of Moher

Part 5 of 6: Dingle Peninsula, Killarney, and Ring of Kerry

Part 6 of 6: Bantry, Kinsale, and Kilkenny

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I’m a California girl, who relocated to the beautiful state of Maine in 2004, because…MAINE.

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