The tiny rose bush that sits just outside the kitchen window, on the backside of the cottage has been void of blooms since our arrival; obviously change happens over a course of a year but seeing as it is a younger bush, producing just a few blooms last year, I made the assumption that it would have more blooms showing off this trip, due to a full year of growth. Upon closer inspection of the back yard, I noted that the rose bush sustained some damage at some point between then and now. Clearly, there is no lack of exquisite views for one to absorb from sunup to sundown around here and there is a giant mature rose bush, adjacent to the back door, that has been full of blooms since we got here, but I could not help but feel a bit sad about the lack of this particular view. Much like our still absent, kitchen window cow friends, I just expected these things to be here; I really wanted them to still be here. Each day, while washing dishes, I look out the window above the sink and silently lament the lack of the pretty pink blooms that should adorn the branches of the bush and wonder why they are not. The last couple of days, as we have only had a couple of pieces of silverware to wash, taking just a few short minutes to clean, I have not paid attention to it as it seems silly to lament the loss of a random flower when I am surrounded by astonishing sights everywhere I look. Last evening, as I did not have time to clean dishes in the morning prior to adventuring, I took position in front of the sink and much to my surprise, a single pink bloom is flourishing on the rose bush, providing me with a ridiculous amount of joy as I washed the dishes. I cannot really explain why this particular rose bush brings me such happiness, but regardless of reason, it does and I am grateful for its arrival. At the same time, it also gives me hope; hope that our kitchen cows will too, return to the field next door, and spend time visiting as we eat our morning meal.

Yesterday was another deep dive into Irish history as we made our way south of the city of Cork to the Kinsale Harbour and explored Charles Fort; A star-shaped fort constructed between 1677 and 1682 atop the ruins of an earlier stronghold. The star shape layout was specifically designed to resist attack by cannon and despite the fort’s resistance to attack by sea, was built lower that the land behind it, creating a vulnerability to said high ground. Charles Fort fell in the Williamite War of 1690 after holding out for thirteen days against the Earl of Marlborough’s men, who took advantage of this vulnerability and breached the wall after three days of intense cannon bombardment causing the defenders to surrender. For the following two hundred and thirty years, the fort was utilized as a British military barracks, relinquished by the British following the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 and fell out of use after being burned by retreating anti-Treaty forces during the Irish Civil War in 1922. It is now under the care of the Office of Public Works to maintain and repair the structures within the fort to preserve Irish history for generations to come.

We wandered through the fort and all its many buildings, opting to skip the guided tour, and move at our own pace. For as old as it is, the fort is in remarkable condition and the views of the Kinsale Harbour are breath-taking. The last building we journeyed through was a museum filled with exhibits highlighting the history of the fort. Kevin and I, with our love of all things historic, really enjoyed the walk through the fort and the history that lies within its walls. The girls were more interested in the gorgeous views of the harbor, which I cannot blame them for, as they were stunning. One of those views included a glimpse of another fort that sits directly across the harbour called James Fort, which also happened to be our next destination. After a quick stop at a food cart for some water we began the quick journey through the town of Kinsale to explore James Fort.

We had a short, albeit very steep climb uphill to reach the fort and I am very grateful we had previously stopped for water, as by the time we reached the fort, water was needed. James Fort was built in 1607 and like Charles Fort, was captured in 1690 by Williamite forces. It is a much smaller fort with what remains of its exterior walls, hardly visible through the overgrowth and the land surrounding it, currently used as hiking trails. Audra discovered a small tunnel, partially obstructed by brush and overgrowth and we delighted in walking through it. Much to our surprise, within the tunnel was a small opening with stairs leading upward to a large clearing, providing unobstructed views of the water and Charles Fort, resting on the opposite side the harbor. We spent some time taking pictures, exploring the fort remains and thankfully had a much easier walk downhill to return to our car.

On the recommendation of our dinner companions at Shipmates last week, we headed back into the town of Kinsale to have lunch at a restaurant called Fishy Fishy. Ellery played at the park while Audra and I relaxed on a nearby park bench and Kevin searched for a parking space. We met up at the restaurant and enjoyed excellent fish and chips, grilled chicken, and lobster. We also splurged on dessert as we had built up quite the appetite. After, we enjoyed time taking pictures of the brightly colored shops that line the streets of this seaside town. As postcard perfect as this delightful harbor town is, Kevin and I seem to have a knack for visiting locations at the wrong time for leisurely exploration, as it was extremely overcrowded, making it very difficult to get around. Much like our visit into Cobh and contending for space with the cruise ship passengers, Wednesday’s in Kinsale is their weekly farmers market day which closes down the majority of their public parking lot. In addition to the bustle of market day, Kinsale is also home to the Kinsale Regatta Festival, a week long event and the oldest Regatta in Ireland, celebrating two hundred and twenty-four years this year. Unbeknown to us, this week was the Kinsale Regatta Festival, culminating with the big race this upcoming weekend. Despite wanting to explore the town and its history further, we opted to head back to the cottage as it was becoming more difficult to move about as the day progressed due to the amount of people still arriving for the festivities. We admired the gorgeous sailboats from afar as we drove out of the brightly colored town and made our way home.

As we had yet to return to one of our favorite dinner spots from last year, we remedied that last evening, opting for take away pizza from the greatly missed Urchin Bar and Adventures in Ardmore and finished the night with a competitive round of Skip-Bo with Kevin securing the win. I am highly anticipating the day as it is once again, full of sunshine and we have a lot of fun in store, but only after I finish my cup of tea.