The “th” sound is not used in Irish and they can’t say it. Jamaican English and Irish English share a historical and linguistic connection. In the 17th century, thousands of Irish laborers and political prisoners were sent to Jamaica
One can hear dis and dat for this and that in Jamaica AND in Ireland.
Our guide said that his jokes come in trees … and he meant threes. He told us that when he was a young Catholic, he always went to mass and so did everyone else. Now only a small percentage attend mass and then only to be hatched, matched and dispatched!
J.K. Rowling relied heavily on Irish lore in the Harry Potter series. Banshee is a ghost. Quidditch is a form of hurling.
Our guide assured us that Jesus was Irish. The reason that they know this is because he didn’t start work until he was thirty and he lived with his mom.
Virginia tobacco was first smoked in Kinsale. Being Virginians, we had to apologize for bringing this ill to Europe.
The Lusitania sank on May 7, 1915 just off the shores of Kinsale. This is what brought the U.S. into WWI.
A German submarine shot a torpedo at the Lusitania because it was in the declared war zone. One minute after the torpedo hit, a big explosion occurred. It sank in 20 minutes. There was a trial. The Germans were found guilty of murder. In the German court, they were found innocent because they claimed that the USA was sending armaments in the hold. That caused the big explosion. It is still being debated today with divers collecting more evidence each year.
The Old Pound was a place where stray pigs (not dogs) were rounded up. When one claimed their pigs, there was a notch put in the ear. On a second offense, one only got half a pig back.
Ships getting ready to cross the Atlantic would come to Kinsale for provisions. The time, tide, and wind needed to be right so they would wait.
Once the winds were favorable, they would sail south. “Sail south until the butter melts” is a traditional sailing adage for crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It means heading south from Europe toward the warmer latitudes of the Canary Islands or Azores before turning west to catch the reliable Northeast trade winds to the Caribbean.
Quay pronounced key is a stone pier that goes out to deeper waters so that a ship can dock.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe was inspired by a Scottish sailor who left on a ship from Kinsale and was put off the ship after arguing with the captain. After four years of survival, he was picked up by a passing ship.
We came across a secondhand bookstore that offers bibliotherapy. There is nothing more therapeutic than an old book, comfy chair, and a cup of tea.
Battle of Kinsale
The Battle of Kinsale in 1601 changed Irish history and still has repercussions today.
Spanish ships landed with 3,500 soldiers. Spain did not like the British. “My enemy’s enemy is my friend.”
Chieftains in Ulster in the north, where there was a hotbed of rebels, had been communicating with the Spanish in Latin. They were 7,000 strong and would come to Kinsale to join the Spanish.
The English army had 6,000 soldiers. It was an open battlefield which favored the English who also had horses. The Irish were used to guerilla warfare where one attacks and retreats to the forest.
O’Neil had suggested that they not attack but wait since the English would soon run out of food and water. But he was overruled, and they chose to attack on Christmas Eve. It was a slaughter and was over in three hours.
The Irish were badly defeated. The rebel lands in the north were taken and the British rewarded their soldiers with land. These Protestant English formed what is now Northern Ireland.
Our bus passed by Queenstown which is now called Cove and is where the Titanic left from.
Charles Fort
Star forts (or bastion forts) are a blast from the military past. Over a thousand abandoned or converted exist today in 40 countries.
Star forts were built by mere mortals with extensive primary paper trails, blueprints, detailed journals, royal contracts, and architectural textbooks.
In the 1400’s, star forts were built because traditional medieval high stone walls crumbled instantly under heavy iron cannonballs. In response, engineers sank walls lower into the ground and angled thick earthen ramparts to absorb and deflect kinetic cannon impact rather than blocking it rigidly. Circular or square towers created dead zones.
The protruding star points allowed offensive crossfire so fort defenders could cover every single angle of approach.
Star forts are made of brick, stone, mortar and packed earth usually from the digging of a dry moat.
To my Tartaria theorists: These materials cannot function as electronic capacitors, transistors, or electromagnetic resonators. Star forts were abandoned or converted not because a secret global empire fell, but because rifled artillery and explosive shells in the 19th century made static surface fortifications strategically obsolete. And that is that!!
Charles Fort was built by the English and named after Charles II who was King of England at the time it was built. The 12 acre Charles Fort overlooks the harbor and was built in anticipation of a Round 2 of the Battle of Kinsale.
St. Multose Church of Ireland was built in 1190. We went to the church for a tour and who is giving the tour but none other than Mr. Kinsale himself, David Peare.
We remember him fondly from last night’s Ghost Walk where he picked Rob out from the crowd of about 40 to star as Sheila. Here is his award winning performance: Sheila
The Many Faces of the Talented David Peare
Later construction in the early Gothic was bigger, stronger, and higher. On that door are early Norman markings for God to bless swords, farm tools, etc.
The font used for baptism is from 1100 and is made from one piece of stone. It is still used today.
Hatchments are placed on the graves. The achievements of the deceased are painted on pine boards. They are very rare as they would eventually decay. It is similar to putting flowers on a grave.
However, in some cases, the hatchments are placed at the home of the deceased. It is displayed for a year and then hung inside a church.
In 1690, the Battle of Boyne was fought between Catholic James III and Protestant William of Orange. William’s victory secured Protestant power in Britain and Ireland. Annual celebrations are observed in Northern Ireland.
Pubs Songs
One says pull a pint of Guinness never pour a pint.
Rob was really connecting with his Irish roots by belting out all the Irish songs. Here are a few:
- The Rare Old Mountain Dew
- Will Ye Go Lassie Go?
- Killeagh
- Grace
- The Ferryman
- Whiskey in the Jar
- The Irish Rover
American Country Music is very popular, especially Johnny Cash. Garth Brooks sold out for five nights straight in Dublin. One had to buy tickets in person and people stood in line for days.
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