Despite our best efforts, we didn’t come close to visiting all the pubs in Kinsale, let alone all the restaurants. The problem seems as challenging as in Halifax, NS, despite Kinsale having a population of only 5,000 compared to Halifax’s 316,000. We’re told that at one point Kinsale had 38 pubs. And we didn’t have anything approaching a bad meal in Kinsale—even simple pub food is amazingly fresh and delicious. The town certainly deserves its reputation as the “Gourmet Capital of Ireland”.

Trip highlights from May 24th through June 11th, 2017 follow. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps

5/24/2017

Kitty O Se’s Position: -8 31.41, 51 42.38 After a bit of a walk around town, we decided on Kitty O Se’s for a celebratory landfall lunch. We had an excellent meal over a pint of Smithwicks. Sharing our first pint at an Irish pub is something we’d been looking forward to from almost the moment we left Newport.

Dinner Position: -8 31.15, 51 42.10 Guest moorage at the Kinsale Yacht Club includes temporary club membership. We stopped in at the beautiful clubhouse for a light dinner overlooking the harbor. Dirona is just visible through the window.

5/26/2017

Landfall Celebration Position: -8 31.23, 51 42.14 We had a fabulous and lengthy landfall celebration meal at one of Kinsale’s highly-rated restaurants, The Steakhouse, courtesy of our friends Adam and Eve Block, former owners of Nordhavn 47 Eden. Adam and Eve thought we might be tired on arrival and, invariably, arriving in a new country has some overhead and administrivia. So, they decided to help us out and take us to dinner, accepting the complexity of taking someone to dinner in Kinsale Ireland when you are situated in San Francisco California. They are innovators and didn’t let a few thousand miles get in the way. They solved the problem by finding a well-regarded restaurant, contacting them, and setting it all up for us so all we needed to is show up, order, and enjoy. It was great—thanks Adam and Eve!

The Steakhouse Position: -8 31.23, 51 42.14 Kinsale is considered the gourmet capital of Ireland, which is one of the reasons we decided to enter Ireland here rather than at Crosshaven on the outskirts of Cork. Like many Kinsale restaurants, The Steakhouse occupies what looks like a centuries-old building that has been beautifully renovated. Judging by the large hearth, this one likely was originally a house. We had what we considered the best table in the house: street-side on a balcony overlooking the lower level.

5/27/2017

The Spaniard Position: -8 31.02, 51 42.30 The Spaniard Pub was built on the ruins of an old castle around 1650 and has been a well-known pub ever since. We pretty much had to stop there for a pint of Murphy’s.

Bulman Pub Position: -8 29.99, 51 42.00 We’d walked past the Bulman Pub on our way to Charles Fort, but it was completely packed. We were able to get a spot on our return and had a great late lunch. On sunny days, the pub apparently is packed most of the time, particularly outside. Even a wedding party, at left of photo, stopped by for a pint.

5/28/2017

Wharf Tavern Position: -8 31.10, 51 42.06 Dinner with a pint of Murphy’s overlooking the commercial pier at the Wharf Tavern.

5/29/2017

White House Position: -8 31.40, 51 42.39 An excellent meal at the White House pub. We’re really enjoying our stay in Kinsale.

5/31/2017

Jim Edwards Position: -8 31.04, 51 42.13 We arrived at Jim Edwards pub for dinner just before the crowds did and had our pick of seats. We had a great meal, with a pint of Murphy’s of course. By the time we left, not one table was available.

6/2/2017

Wharf Tavern Position: -8 31.10, 51 42.05 Lunch on the patio at the Wharf Tavern before we bicycle over to James Fort.

The Dock Position: -8 30.89, 51 41.80 All that walking is thirsty business. We enjoyed a pint of delicious Bulmers Irish cider on the patio at The Dock pub.

The Grey Hound Position: -8 31.44, 51 42.39 All that biking is thirsty business. We’ve twice before looked for a patio table at the exceedingly popular Grey Hound and finally scored a table, just barely, on our third attempt.

6/6/2017

Fishy Fishy Position: -8 31.29, 51 42.23 A delicious seafood meal at Fishy Fishy near the marina.

6/8/2017

Brunos Position: -8 31.31, 51 42.23 Rosie and Bill Skelton came by for a tour of Dirona and then we had an excellent meal and a wonderful evening at Bruno’s Italian restaurant near the marina.

6/9/2017

White Lady Position: -8 31.16, 51 42.08 A delicious meal at the White Lady pub just behind the Kinsale Yacht Club.

6/11/2017

Blue Haven Position: -8 31.39, 51 42.39 An exceptional final meal in Kinsale at the Blue Haven with fish tacos, raw oysters and Kinsale crab claws. This was probably our second or third best dinner here.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map, with the complete log of our cruise. On the map page, clicking on a camera or text icon will display a picture and/or log entry for that location, and clicking on the smaller icons along the route will display latitude, longitude and other navigation data for that location. And a live map of our current route and most recent log entries always is available at http://mvdirona.com/maps.