Kinsale - A Walled Town

there were four walled towns in county cork: cork city, youghal, bandon and kinsale. as with walled towns all over europe in the middle ages, the purpose was to provide security against attack and to create a commercial and political entity. in the 17th century new methods of warfare and the increased use of guns made such fortifications less secure, but walled towns continued to give residents a perception of security and served to define the town area for taxation purposes. goods sold within the town walls were taxed and there was control over who could sell goods. in the case of these towns only protestant merchants were allowed trade. at the museum entrance a large plaque lists the various taxes payable for 1788 in the town of kinsale.

there were 5 gates in the kinsale walls. these gave access to the cork road, the harbour and the hinterland;

cork gate , the gate was the main entrance to the town by land. the town jail was at the cork gate with the debtors' room over the gateway. it had only one window. on the ground floor there were two rooms for criminals. in 1788 a traveller commented that the gaoler and his wife had 'lived in the jail for the last 43 years'.

water gate , this gate was located at the end of market quay near the courthouse and allowed goods to be brought in to market square in the town centre by boat. once through the gate the merchant had his goods at the market.

blind gate , smugglers used st. nicholas gate almost exclusively. this was so damaging to the corporation that in 1695 the gate closed or 'blinded', and this is how it got it's name. the area is still known as blind gate.

friars' gate , around 1340 st. mary's abbey was founded. the carmelite friars were granted their own gate which gave ease of access to their lands and their own well, known as 'fan na tubraide,' which was located outside the town walls.

world's end gate , this gate gave access to the main port area of the town. the harbour comprised a number of small quays, rather than one pier as now exists. activity there included commercial traffic, fish landing and one of the three boatyards existing at that time in kinsale.

the walls ceased to have any defensive purpose when the town was captured by the williamite forces in 1690, after the battle of the boyne. although some repairs continued to be made to the walls and gates, by 1805 the last gate had been demolished and many of the stones used to build some of the existing houses.

the town wall began construction in 1380. it remained standing until its destruction in 1690 while the gates remained in use until 1794.