Kinsale is a unique town, largely because of its location in a safe harbour, at the mouth of a river, a location which saw it settled by Celts, Vikings, Normans and English. St. Eltin (Multose) established the first church while the Normans built the existing Saint Multose Church, the DeCourcey castles at the Old Head and Ringrone and Kinsale became a walled town.

Their English descendents held Kinsale as a market town an important commercial and naval harbour with shipyards and a base for local and visiting fishing fleets. It was the centre of a major battle in 1601 when the defeat of the Irish and Spanish forces resulted in the end of the Gaelic way of life, the Flight of the Earls and the Ulster Plantation.

The use of the harbour declined as a result of extensive silting and it was partly infilled to create the flat part of the town, which now depended on the military and fishing for business. The Civil War saw the destruction of Charles Fort, the Barracks and the Town Hall and the fishing declined so Kinsale became a poor derelict town with many young people forced to emigrate. The town is now a noted tourist centre, famous for gourmet food, and its unique heritage and range of activities available.