I’m excited to go stay in Cork after the District Conference for two reasons:
First, I want to experience The Kindred Spirits Memorial. (If you don’t know this bit of history, please check it out. You’ll be moved.)
Second, I want to visit Kinsale where the Battle of Kinsale was fought at Christmas in 1601. This is the battle where England drove the final nails into the coffin of the Irish. Tibbott ne Long Burke, Gráinne’s son, led an army to the engagement. No one knew on whose side he would fight. When he finally got there, he chose the English forces.
Also in Kinsale, there is an old port and a 16th Century Customs house. Spanish wine was a major commercial good at the time. Gráinne was a major importer, as was the Earl of Desmond who captured her there, saying she raided his estate. I have a different idea. But first I want to see the lay of the land and learn more about this shipping business.