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KINSALE has retained much of the flavour of its rich maritime history and has much in common with the formerly affluent ports of Youghal, Cork and Cobh. The eighteen-mile road south to here from Cork city travels through gentle rolling farmland and alongside an estuary. This easy, meandering coast is a favourite for fishing and birdwatching - indeed, it's so alive with birdlife that it's rewarding even for the uninitiated. At Kinsale the harbour is broad, and cormorants and shags skim across its gentle waters. A tongue of land curls from the west into the centre of the harbour, protecting the town from harsh winds, and on this promontory are the ivy-clad ruins of James Fort , a ruddy castle built by the English James I. With its pretty harbour, the opportunities it offers for watersports, and its reputation as the gourmet centre of the southwest, Kinsale is an extremely successful tourist town. For the most part development has been tasteful, though the pace of change is swift and a garish scar of pastel-coloured apartments disfiguring the hillside illustrates the threat commercialism poses to Kinsale's historic character. Still, despite the crowds and the cars, there is plenty of interest in the life, landscape and history to keep you here
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