Discover Cork City

Cork is a vibrant, walkable university city just 30 minutes from Kinsale and one of the finest half-day or full-day excursions available from your holiday home.

The English Market has been trading since 1788 and is one of the oldest and finest covered food markets in Europe; a brilliant introduction to Cork’s exceptional food culture, with local produce, artisan foods, fresh seafood and traditional Cork specialities including tripe and drisheen. Don’t miss it.

St Finbarr’s Cathedral is a stunning neo-Gothic building with exquisite mosaics, paintings and stained-glass windows. The Crawford Art Gallery houses more than 3,000 Irish and European works of art in a magnificent historic building and is free to enter — with an excellent café for lunch afterwards.

The Cork Butter Museum tells the fascinating story of butter’s central role in Irish history and trade, including 1,000-year-old bog butter. St Anne’s Church in Shandon is worth climbing for the bell tower views across the city.

Blackrock Castle, five kilometres from the city centre, is one of Cork’s most scenic historic buildings — a 400-year-old castle on the banks of the River Lee with a planetarium inside.  

Kiss the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle

No trip to Cork is complete without a visit to Blarney Castle and kissing the famous Blarney Stone to receive the gift of eloquence. World leaders, celebrities and millions of ordinary visitors have made the same pilgrimage, and the castle and its magnificent grounds are genuinely worth the trip regardless of your feelings about the stone itself.

Blarney is approximately 35 minutes from Kinsale and makes a brilliant half-day excursion — combine it with a visit to Cork city for a full day out.

The Titanic’s last port of call before her ill-fated maiden voyage was Cobh (then Queenstown) in 1912, and the town’s connection to that story is movingly told at the Titanic Experience, which is housed in the original White Star Line Ticket Office.

Each visitor is given a boarding card with the name of a real passenger who boarded at Cobh, and at the end you discover their fate.

The Titanic Trail walking tour extends the experience across the town itself. Cobh is also home to the stunning St Colman’s Cathedral, one of the finest Gothic Revival buildings in Ireland, and the Queenstown Story heritage centre which tells the broader story of Irish emigration from this port.

Cobh is approximately 45 minutes from Kinsale and makes a full half-day or full-day excursion.

Spike Island: Ireland’s Alcatraz

Credit: Caoimheen3 on Wikimedia

From Cobh, a 15-minute ferry ride takes you to Spike Island, where you’ll discover 1,300 years of Irish history packed into one extraordinary place. It has served as a monastery, fortress and prison at various points in its history, and the guided tours of the prison cells, deep tunnels and fortifications are genuinely fascinating.

Voted the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction at the World Travel Awards, Spike Island is one of the most underrated day trips in Ireland and particularly popular with groups and families. Book tickets in advance during summer months.

Visit Clonakilty and Smuggler’s Cove

Just 34 kilometres west of Kinsale on the Wild Atlantic Way, Clonakilty is one of Ireland’s most charming towns . Voted Best Town in Europe in 2017 and home to Inchydoney Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in County Cork.

Visit Michael Collins’ House Musuem for a fascinating insight into one of Ireland’s most celebrated patriots. Browse the brightly-coloured streets with their life-size animal sculptures. Sample the famous Clonakilty Black Pudding at the visitor centre. Or raise a glass at the award-winning Clonakilty Distillery.

For families with children, Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf in Clonakilty is a brilliant addition to the day. A pirate-themed adventure golf course that children absolutely love and adults enjoy just as much. A perfect way to round off an afternoon in Clonakilty before heading back to Kinsale.

Relax on Cork’s beaches

As well as Inchydoney beach in Clonakilty, there are other magnificent beaches to explore on the Wild Atlantic Way in and around Kinsale. We can recommend:

• Kinsale’s best-known beach is the Dock beach on the Castlepark peninsula, near James Fort. This lovely sandy beach with shallow water is popular with families and swimmers.  
• Kinsale’s biggest beach is Garretstown, 10kms from the town centre. It has glorious sand and is popular with surfers as well as families.
• A grassy piece of land separates Garretstown beach from Garrylucas beach, which has both sand and stones. This is where the kite surfers go and it’s also a good choice for families, sunbathers and swimmers.
• A 20-minute drive from Kinsale takes you to Coolmain beach, which has soft, powdery sand. Also known as Harbour View beach, it is a fairly quiet beach and a haven for birds  – keep an eye out for oystercatchers, herons, ducks, plovers and dunlin among others.

Play golf in County Cork

Kinsale is one of Ireland’s finest golf destinations and the surrounding Cork area offers outstanding courses for every level.

Old Head of Kinsale Golf Links is one of the most spectacular golf courses on earth. Set entirely on a headland jutting into the Atlantic with ocean views on three sides. A bucket-list round for any golfer.

Kinsale Golf Club at Farrangalway offers two nine-hole loops in beautiful countryside surroundings. Excellent value and a thoroughly enjoyable round.

Cork Golf Club on Little Island has hosted the Irish Open and was designed by legendary course architect Alister MacKenzie.

Fota Island Golf Club has hosted the Irish Open Amateur Championships and the Irish PGA Championship across its three championship courses.

For something different, FootGolf Cork near Kinsale blends football and golf for a brilliantly fun group activity. You’ll also find a bar, restaurant and other activities including tag archery and Nerf Wars on site. Perfect for mixed groups, hen weekends and multigenerational family groups.

Ready to start exploring? Take a look at our seven luxury holiday homes in Kinsale, sleeping between 16 and 32 guests and find your perfect base for a Cork adventure. Choose Your Holiday Home →