(JJ Hurley) A tradition of pantomime has existed in the fabric of Kinsale’s Christmas calendar, but when did the spectacle make its opening debut? A trawl of the newspapers reveals a proud tradition of variety performances as far back as the late 19th century, but the emergence of pantomime appears in the late 1930s. The […]

Fergal Browne While tennis in Ireland has roots stretching back to medieval times, the modern boom came in the late 19th century, when lawn tennis swept across Ireland’s ‘gentry’ class leading to the establishment of the Irish Championships at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club in 1879—just two years after Wimbledon. Elizabeth Meade, of Ballymartle House, was […]

The Connaught Rangers Monument in the Abbey Grave, Kinsale The historic Abbey graveyard, hidden from the bustling streets of the busy tourist town of Kinsale, shelters a memorial to 12 soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the Connaught Rangers. Their deaths have, to some extent, become a mystery as, like many other soldiers of the […]

It’s a topic that hasn’t been out of the headlines in recent times: public toilets. But looking back at the newspapers from November 1965, it seems that not much progress has been made on the subject in 60 years. Raised at a meeting of the Kinsale Development Association (KDA)—a body formed to promote the town—there […]

1985 Kinsale and Its London Links In November 1985, a large group of Kinsale’s residents departed the town to travel to London, as part of the Kinsale and District Emigrants Association. Recorded in the pages of The Southern Star, the article described the excursion as ‘Success of London Social’. The Kinsale contingent departed from the […]

Kinsale, Co. Cork — Discover Cork’s rebels’ stories from the Curragh prison camps, with historian James Durney at Kinsale Library, Saturday, November 1st at 2pm. Entitled A Calico Shack in Kildare. Cork Volunteers behind the wire, 1922–24, James is set to tell the tale of the struggle that continued from the outside to behind the camp’s […]

Historian Diarmuid Ferriter will turn his attention to Ireland’s recent past in a talk at the Methodist Hall, Kinsale, on Friday, October 3rd, at 7pm, as part of the town’s Words by Water Literary Festival. Ferriter, in addition to holding the esteemed position of Professor of Modern History at UCD, is also a regular contributor […]

Kinsale Cultural and Heritage Society are delighted to see the launch of ‘Cork Chronicles’, a new podcast series dedicated to exploring the rich and diverse heritage of County Cork, by one of the society’s founding members, Shannon Forde. Hosted by the CreativeIrl Heritage Specialist in Residence, Shannon Forde, the podcast will delve into both iconic […]

Kinsale Cultural and Heritage Society unveils a packed programme of events over the coming weeks as the society prepares for its busy autumn schedule. Chairperson JJ Hurley, set to facilitate a discussion with Professor Dermot Ferriter and Peadar Thomson as part of the upcoming Words by Water Literary Festival in Kinsale. (John Allen Images) First […]

Unfortunately, our own event is booked for heritage week, but there are some fantastic other events taking place over the period of national heritage week. https://www.heritageweek.ie/event-listings?q=kinsale#listings