The Old Head of Kinsale () is a headland near Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland.

A castle has been on the headland since at least the 3rd century, with the current iteration built in 1223. An early lighthouse was established here in the 17th century by Robert Reading. The area is the nearest point of land to where the was sunk in 1915, from the site of the sinking. Currently, access to the Old Head is restricted as it is on the site of a private golf course, which has proven to be controversial.

Castle

thumb|left|Old Head Castle, c. 1830

The Old Head Castle is made up of a long wall with several towers along it, which closes off the headland of the Old Head from the rest of the mainland. It is reported to have been built around the 3rd century AD by the Irish chieftain Cearmna. It was originally named Dún Cearmna (Cearmna's fort). The land was given to Milo de Cogan by King Henry II.

Lighthouse

The Old Head has hosted "lighthouses" for millennia, with references to a beacon of light being maintained on the headland dating back to pre-Christian Ireland. On 13 November 1665 Charles II granted letters patent to Sir Robert Reading to construct six lighthouses around the coast of Ireland. One of these was established on the Old Head of Kinsale,

Golf

thumb|The lighthouse and a portion of the Old Head Golf Links

Today, the Old Head of Kinsale is visited by golfers who come to play on its 18-hole golf course that opened in 1997.

Since the golf course opened, access to the Old Head of Kinsale has been restricted to golfers and guests only, and there has been a long-running campaign for the restoration of public access organised by the "Free the Old Head of Kinsale" campaign. This has mainly taken the format of "people's picnics", some of them involving "incursions" onto the headland and holding the picnics at the Old Head lighthouse.

See also

  • Lighthouses in Ireland

References

  • Courtmacsherry Bay Area Local tourist authority website.
  • Lighthouse history
  • Old Head Golf Links
  • Free the Old Head of Kinsale Campaign