The Lookout

The apartment is on two levels, with secure access via shared outdoor stairs from a gated quay-side level.

A spacious and impeccably furnished open-plan living space is at first floor level. It is intuitively allocated between seating, dining and kitchen areas, with all of them benefiting from a simply stunning panoramic view across the Kinsale Marina and the harbour.

Central to the living area, there is an Eco conscious hi-tech fireplace, which is instantly controllable.

The dark hardwood flooring evident throughout the home was specially fashioned from reclaimed timber for this project. It is a common theme here that as much as possible, including bedlinen has been ethically sourced locally and sustainably.

An impressive glazed full-height sliding door opens onto a generous timber floored terrace that spans nearly the full width of the apartment and overlooks the dock-side below.

A polished peninsula distinguishes the contemporary galley kitchen from the rest of the gleaming white interior.

To the rear of the living space, white paneling conceals a nautical themed guest WC, and a compact utility station for laundry.

Sleeps up to 8 guests.

Stairs from the entrance hall lead to up to an ample master bedroom with a king-sized four poster bed at its heart.

The bedroom too has a splendid balcony with glass balustrade and glazed sliding door access to the harbour view.

A walk-in wardrobe has been installed behind the headboard, while radiant white shutters from floor level, augment the electric roller blinds for additional privacy.

As with the living area below, there is another hi-tech letter-box fireplace below a state-of-the-art multi-channel television.

A magnificent bathroom, which runs along one side of the bedroom, features an elegant double-ended slipper bath and a stand-alone shower.

With a second entrance outside the bedroom, the bathroom can also be accessed without disturbing the bedchamber. There is a second and gorgeous ancillary bedroom back on the first floor, adjacent to the entrance. Best for kids, it sleeps two in full sized bunk beds with a distinctly marine atmosphere.

Kitchen Appliances

• Aga range
• Fridge-freezer
• Dishwasher
• Toaster & Kettle
• Microwave
• Coffee machine

Utility Appliances

• Washing machine-dryer
• Iron

Bedrooms

• One King-size 4 poster bed
• Set of single bunk beds
• Double ended slipper bath
• Walk-in wardrobe
• Hairdryer

Tech & Entertainment

• Hi speed Internet
• Wifi: 93.1 Mbps download / 18.3 Mbps upload
• 2 Flat-screen smart TVs
• Sky sports, Netflix, Disney+ & multi channels
• Premium remote control fire places
• Remote control blinds and Velux

Other

• Selection of books
• Gated entrance & underground parking
• Home catering and housekeeping available

• Take a Kinsale Harbour Cruise
• A local breakfast at O’Herlihys
• Check out Charle’s Fort
• A links like no other at the Old Head
• Take a Kinsale historic walking tour
• Lusitania museum on the Old Head
• Eat over at Man Fridays
• Share a plate over a delicious bottle at Cru
• A restaurant that’s fussy about fish
• Try Windsurfing at Oysterhaven
• Top notch dining experience at Bastion
• Go Pony trekking along the beach
• Nearby nautical dining experience
• Escape to Spike Island prison

• Come deep sea angling
• Irelands greatest wildlife park at Fota
• Sample gourmet food in the English Market
• Kinsale Jazz Festival
• Prim’s Bookshop at No.43 in the Main street, is a great place to ‘hang out’’, play the piano, ‘check mate’ at chess or simply browse their wonderful book collection. Known for hosting secret, pop up music events. There may also be an opportunity to do what many consider the ultimate experience viz. run a book shop for a day (think ‘You’ve got Mail’).
• Irish Soda Bread – Interactive bread making class is also available. Led by a local Kinsaler who will initiate you into all the secrets.

Kinsale town, extolled by Conde Nast as one of Ireland’s most beautiful towns, sits at the mouth of the River Bandon, just half an hour South of the magnificent Cork City. This is the Southern limit of the Wild Atlantic Way, Ireland’s 2,500km route that follows the coast to Inishowen, in the North.

The genuinely picturesque town has a long and chequered history as a strategic port, but it’s current status as ‘The Gourmet Capital of Ireland’ derives from the quality of its acclaimed restaurants, of which there are many.

Fishing has endured as the primary driver, due to the excellent sheltered harbour. In the mid 1800’s it was probably the largest fishing port in the country, and seafood remains a valuable tourist enticement.

The apartment is close to Kinsale central, and most things are within easy walking distance.

The harbour is also ideal for sailing ships, and the port acquired significant importance during their heyday, both commercially and militarily.

A number of notable buildings survive around the town, including Desmond Castle aka the French Prison – c. 1500; the Market House – c. 1600, and the Church of St Multose (Church of Ireland) – 1190. Local guided tours are usually both fascinating and entertaining.

The are also the remains of two impressive forts built by the English to protect the narrow entrance from the sea. The 17th-century pentagonal bastion of James Fort, and its successor, Charles Fort on the opposite side of the estuary, which is one of the finest surviving examples of a star-shaped fort from the period. Charles Fort continued to be used by the British Army until February 1922.

Completed in 1906 And built for speed at Clydebank in Scotland, the passenger steamship Lusitania initially held the record for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing. It was also the largest and most luxurious of its day – being surpassed only by its sister ship the Mauretania.

In 1915 on a trip from New York to Liverpool, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat 18 km off the Old Head of Kinsale. Taking 18 minutes to sink, there were only 764 survivors.

The loss of 128 Americans in the tragedy is thought to have contributed to their active involvement in WW2, however a number of controversies and conspiracy theories relating to the disaster persist to this day. A museum and memorial garden at the Signal Tower on the Old Head, commemorate the event.

Shipwrecks abound along this stretch of coast. You may be interested in a book by local historian Jerome Lordan called No Flowers on a Sailors Grave which details them.

More from Jerome here…