Kinsale – The Most Wonderful Place You’ve Never Heard Of

Kinsale (aka now one of my favorite places in Ireland) is a picturesque Irish coastal town made for foodies, non-touristy travelers, and people who love cobblestone streets/bright houses/relaxing hikes to crumbling forts. The colorful buildings and hidden alleys are strangely reminiscent of an Italian village.

I loved hiking to Charles Fort along the Scilly footpath (the Scilly footpath will make you SILLY WITH AWESOMENESS. No, sorry. Puns. Stopping). The hike was lovely and relaxed, and the few Euros needed to explore the fort were well spent.

A secret door in the hillside? With security? Where could it lead?

You know. An Irish door.

Haha. We found a canon.

Windowception

I love when trees decide to grow inside a building instead of outside

Women Number ONE

If possible, stay in B&Bs as you travel Ireland and check out local pubs. Many pubs host nights of live traditional music with some of the most darling and talented old men you will ever see. You might see a pursed-lips, unsmiling, and withered elderly man suddenly break into folky song with dulcet, golden tones. Oh my. Watch World Cup matches and sip the local brew. You might also meet your 40 stalkers (For an area of Ireland with very few tourists, my family kept seeing the same tour bus group over and over again).

On the way to Kerry, my family checked out Killarney National Park – complete with castle. I recommend only stopping here for a short period of time. I opted to not pay buckets of money to get a horse-and-buggy ride or castle tour, and I had a grand old time sitting on the lawn of a castle, leaned up against the stone, alternately looking out at the view and reading a book. A packed lunch here could be fun, but really I think food makes anything better.

Doesn’t the man in the corner kinda look nakey?