Kinsale in the south of Ireland is a coastal village famous for its brightly colored shops, gourmet restaurants and significant history.
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Mostly you’ll find that it’s the perfect small town to walk around in. Did we mention pubs yet? Oh yes, you’ll find lots of Irish music in the pubs of Kinsale. It is a small town with a friendly atmosphere. It’s the kind of place where you just want to hang out and relax.
Kinsale has become one of Ireland's most popular visitor destinations, and yet it is somewhat remote.
It's not very crowded except for a couple of months in the summertime when it does get rather busy.
The rest of the year it's a little bit more quiet and peaceful than the other major Irish destinations, because it's on the far southern shore away from the main intercity highways. Coming in through the little downtown, we’re soon driving along the marina as we get to our hotel, the Actons, nicely located just a short walk from the town center.
One of the defining characteristics and most pleasant aaspects of the city is that it's right on the water. There's a big natural harbor that played a large role in its history and economy, which has involved fishing and trading with Europe, and some important military battles because of its strategic location. More on that later.
The town consists of well-preserved historic buildings because during the twentieth century this area was in economic decline. Nothing much happened here, there was very little development. And so the old buildings from centuries ago are still standing. It's one of those delightful historical sequences where a town was booming in the 1600s and 1700, 1800s with many attractive shops and homes built in a nicely organized village center, then went into decline, left alone for a hundred years, and now it's been rediscovered. The buildings are all renovated and painted in a lively variety of colors.
In the last forty years, Kinsale has really blossomed and has bounced back today as a very attractive destination, with sThe largest public gathering place is Market Square, which has the only pedestrian streets in town.
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