Kinsale Museum

Well-preserved tower house built circa 1500 by the Earl of Desmond as a custom house. After 1641 it became a prison mostly for Spanish and French captured at sea — in 1747 a fire killed 54 French prisoners — and later for Americans. It continued as the town jail for another century and was a workhouse during the 19th century famines. In the 1990s it was done up as a museum (including for a time as the "International Museum of Wine") but has been closed "for renovation" at least since 2010.

This was built 1602-07 after the siege of Kinsale, over the earlier Castle Ny-Parke, and named for King James I. It had a good range of fire over the harbour approaches from its "blockhouse" and remained in use when Charles Fort was completed. But after the siege of 1690, the new fort became the military base and James Fort fell derelict. You can stroll round anytime. It's only 200 m from town across the river but you have to cross the bridge, making it 3 km and a scenic turnaround point for walkers and joggers.

Impressive star-shaped fort, built 1677-82 over the earlier Ringcurran Castle, and named for the restored King Charles II. It became known as the "new fort", complementing the older James Fort across the harbour. It was built to repulse seaborne attack but was overlooked by higher ground and vulnerable to landward attack. That enabled John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, to capture town and fort in 1690 in the Williamite Wars. Various repairs and additions were made over the next 200 years and it remained a British military base until Irish independence in 1921. It then fell derelict before being restored from the 1970s, with an exhibition area in the former commander's quarters.