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Kinsale has been designated an Irish Heritage
Town. Early settlers in Ireland came to live in the area which we now know as Kinsale.
Indeed the Old Head of Kinsale has been attributed as the site for some of the earliest
settlers in Ireland. Kinsale also has an important place in Irish history. It was near
here in 1601 that the Battle of Kinsale was fought. At this battle the Spanish allies
challenged the power of the English troops. In December of that year the English proved to
be victorious. It is believed that Kinsale town was founded by the Anglo-Normans in about
the year 1177, in a small walled area, which was close to the water. Kinsale received its
first of several Charters in 1334 from Edward III by which time it was a well-established
town. Prosperity in Kinsale continued in the l5th and l6th centuries, and in 1666 it was
described as "One of the most important harbours in Europe",
with a substantial trade in wine and salt. The town was a significant naval base in the
17th and 18th centuries. Indeed in the l8th century Kinsale seems to have enjoyed a degree
of prosperity not otherwise common in Ireland. Kinsale has for centuries therefore had
close European connections, and in 1966 it became the first town in Ireland to be awarded
the Flag of the Council of Europe.