Family Day Out - Charles Fort & Kinsale ♥

 I am a big supporter of everything Irish and love to feature all things Ireland on my blog. Today is no different. I wanted to make you all aware of a wonderful place in my home county of Cork, that is Kinsale. People I write to abroad always tell me that it's their dream to visit Ireland someday and I can really see why, it is such a beautiful and magical country with a lot to offer. I'm always asked what are some of the 'must see' sights to visit and I can safely say that Cork has a lot of great places to visit, Kinsale being just one of them. On Saturday the weather was fantastic here in Cork so my fiance and I decided to have a family day out with our baby boy Tyler Lee. I have lived in Cork all of my twenty-three years but I am ashamed to say that I had never been to the beautiful town of Kinsale even though it is only about forty-five minutes away from my home. It's kind of awful that it took a South African to get me to go to these Irish heritage sites, surely it should be the other way around? Anyway we chose a fabulous day to visit Charles Fort, the views from the bastions were amazing. We could see all the yachts and boats out enjoying the fantastic weather and the green hills and fields which surround Kinsale. The fort is steeped in history and has been associated with some of the most prolific events in Irish history, most notably the Irish Civil War 1922-33. As a history graduate places like this are of great interest to me and it's amazing to think of all the people who took part in the events surrounding Charles Fort and what life was like for them at the time. It's important for me to make Tyler aware of the history of where he comes from, not just in Ireland but South Africa and Poland too - he's a tri-national baby don't you know. This was his first historical outing and I'm so delighted that it took place on such a beautiful day. 

We also visited Kinsale town which was buzzing with tourists, mostly American, who are drawn to the towns charm and beautiful scenery. I was charmed by the old post office building but unfortunately didn't get the chance to take a picture due to heavy traffic but I most definitely will next time for a project I am working on. We then went to the Old Head of Kinsale. This is such a beautiful place, so breathtaking! I was surprised to see the crystal clear waters below the cliffs, these waters are something you would usually see in the likes of the Mediterranean but it was wonderful to see this in Cork. It's such a shame that you can't walk to the end of the Head due to the golf course but it's a must see place nonetheless. Jacek took some amazing pictures so all credit goes to him for the pictures on this post. I can't wait for the other family days out we will have this summer, I hope the weather will be as beautiful as it was for this outing. Everyone should visit Ireland at least once in their life, I can guarantee you will love it just as much as I do!

If there's one thing you must do in life it's visit Ireland!