Blarney Castle & Historic Kinsale
A5 brochure · 16 pages · 148 × 210 mm
Redmond
Chauffeur Drive
A Private Luxury Day Excursion
For hotel guests & cruise passengers across Cork, in complete executive comfort
County Cork · Ireland
Bespoke Shore & Day Experience
Step away from crowded tour coaches and discover Blarney Castle and historic Kinsale in complete executive comfort.
Whether you are staying in a Cork hotel or arriving by cruise ship into Cobh, you travel in a modern Mercedes-Benz with an experienced local private driver. This signature tour connects the legendary chieftain history of medieval Munster with the vibrant coastal atmosphere of the Wild Atlantic Way.
Quality Standards & Executive Credentials
Designed Around You
This tour is designed for visitors staying in hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs and holiday homes across County Cork, as well as cruise passengers arriving into Cobh. You won't need to hire a car, drive unfamiliar roads or find parking. Your driver meets you at your door and brings you back there at the end of the day.
Hotel & Holiday Guests
Cruise Passengers
01Book
Contact us by phone, WhatsApp or email and tell us where you are staying.
02Meet
Your driver meets you in the lobby or on the pier at your chosen time.
03Relax
Enjoy the day at your own pace, then we return you to your door.
Tour Highlights · Part One
Beat the morning tour coaches to kiss the Blarney Stone and stroll the peaceful estate.
Discover the 18th-century Rock Close, the mystical Wishing Steps, and the Poison Garden.
Browse authentic knitwear and artisan goods at the historic Blarney Woollen Mills.
Tour Highlights · Part Two
Leisure time for lunch and harbour walks through the colourful streets of Kinsale.
Walk the ramparts of Charles Fort overlooking Kinsale Harbour and the Atlantic.
Collected from your hotel, B&B or the cruise pier and returned to the same door. No car hire, no timetables, no parking.
Master Itinerary & Commentary
08:30
Collection from your hotel lobby, B&B or holiday home anywhere in Cork, or a pier-side greeting alongside your ship at Cobh Cruise Terminal. Hotel guests can choose a later start. Then we set off in your private executive Mercedes-Benz.
09:15 – 11:30
Blarney Castle: Built in 1446 by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, King of Munster. Set into the machicolated battlements is the legendary Stone of Eloquence (Blarney Stone), bestowing the gift of persuasive speech.
The Rock Close & Estate: 18th-century gardens surrounding ancient Druidic limestone formations, dolmens, the mystical Wishing Steps, and curated toxic botanicals in the Poison Garden.
Blarney Woollen Mills: Established 1823 on the River Martin; premier destination for authentic Aran knitwear, tweeds, and handcrafted Irish gifts.
“Kiss the Stone of Eloquence before the coaches arrive.”
12:15 – 14:15
Kinsale Harbour & Medieval Heritage: Site of the pivotal 1601 Battle of Kinsale that ended the Gaelic chieftain era. Now Ireland's gourmet capital and southern gateway of the Wild Atlantic Way, famed for Newman's Mall, Main Street, and pastel harbour fronts.
14:30 – 15:30
Charles Fort Ramparts: Commissioned by King Charles II in the 1670s; one of Europe’s finest preserved coastal star-forts, built to protect Kinsale Harbour from naval assault, offering 180-degree ocean panoramas toward the Old Head.
15:30 – 16:30
Relax in climate-controlled Mercedes comfort on the way back. Hotel guests are returned to their door, and cruise passengers are returned alongside their ship at Cobh well before all-aboard.
Visitor Guide · Blarney
Nearly six centuries of Irish history sit on this rock above the River Martin, from Gaelic chieftains and Cromwellian sieges to the family who still call the estate home.
A fortress has stood on this rock since at least the early 13th century. The great tower house you see today was built in 1446 by the MacCarthys, Lords of Muskerry, one of the most powerful Gaelic families in Munster. Its thick walls, narrow stairs and "murder holes" were built to hold out against attack.
The word "blarney" was born here. When Queen Elizabeth I demanded that Cormac MacCarthy surrender his castle, he answered with endless polite letters and flattering promises, but never handed it over. The exasperated Queen is said to have declared: "This is all Blarney. What he says, he never means."
The castle fell to Cromwellian forces under Lord Broghill in 1646. After the Williamite War the MacCarthys lost their lands for good, and in 1703 the estate was bought by Sir James St John Jefferyes, Governor of Cork. His family laid out the gardens and the mysterious Rock Close.
Through marriage the estate passed to the Colthurst family, who built Blarney House beside the lake in 1874. They still live here today, caring for the castle, gardens and woodlands that welcome visitors from all over the world.
Visitor Guide · Blarney
Blarney is far more than its famous stone. The castle sits within more than 60 acres of parkland, gardens, woodland walks and waterways. There is plenty to explore after your climb to the battlements.
Climb the narrow spiral stairs to the battlements. There you lean back, held safely by an attendant, to kiss the stone that legend says grants the gift of eloquence.
Walk down the Wishing Steps and back up with your eyes closed, thinking only of your wish. Nearby are the Witch’s Kitchen, Witch’s Stone and Druid’s Circle.
One of Europe’s most unusual gardens, with wolfsbane, mandrake, ricin and opium poppy. The most dangerous plants are kept in cages.
The Colthurst family home, a Scottish baronial mansion. It opens to visitors on selected summer days.
Housed in the original 1823 mill, with Aran sweaters, tweeds, crystal, pottery, Irish linens and a café.
Visitor Guide · Kinsale
A medieval walled port whose sheltered harbour drew merchants, kings and invading armies, and which changed the course of Irish history in 1601.
Kinsale takes its name from the Irish Ceann tSáile, "head of the tide". The Anglo-Normans built a walled town around its deep, sheltered harbour, and Edward III granted a royal charter in 1334. For centuries it was one of Ireland’s busiest ports for trade with France and Spain.
In 1601 a Spanish army of around 3,500 men under Don Juan del Águila landed here to support the Irish chieftains Hugh O’Neill and Red Hugh O’Donnell. Their defeat by Lord Mountjoy’s English army outside the town on Christmas Eve 1601 ended the old Gaelic order and led to the Flight of the Earls in 1607.
King James II landed at Kinsale in 1689 to begin his fight for the crown, and sailed from here into exile after the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. The Royal Navy built ships in the town’s dockyard, and in 1703 Alexander Selkirk, the real-life inspiration for Robinson Crusoe, set sail from the harbour.
In 1915 the town was at the centre of world news after the sinking of the Lusitania off the Old Head. Since the 1970s Kinsale has been celebrated as Ireland’s gourmet capital, famous for its seafood, restaurants and food festivals.
Visitor Guide · Kinsale
Kinsale is one of Ireland’s prettiest harbour towns. Narrow lanes of brightly painted shopfronts, galleries and boutiques lead down to the marina. The walking map overleaf shows where to find each of these.
A tower house from around 1500. It served as a custom house and as a prison for French and Spanish captives, and now houses the International Museum of Wine (seasonal).
Founded by the Normans around 1199, it is one of Ireland’s oldest churches still in continuous use.
Housed in the 17th-century Market House on Market Square, telling the story of the town, the Battle of Kinsale and the Lusitania.
Try seafood chowder, local oysters or fish and chips by the harbour. Your driver is happy to recommend a restaurant and book a table.
Independent bookshops, art galleries, jewellers and boutiques line Main Street, Market Street and Pearse Street.
Visitor Guide · Kinsale
The old town is compact and best explored on foot. Your chauffeur will drop you near the Tourist Office on Pier Road and collect you from the same spot at a time that suits you.
Visitor Guide · Summercove
One of the finest star-shaped forts in Europe, built to guard Kinsale Harbour and garrisoned for almost 250 years.
Charles Fort stands on the site of Ringcurran Castle, which Spanish troops held during the Siege of Kinsale in 1601. As Dutch and French fleets threatened the Irish coast, a new fort was built here from 1678 to 1682 and named after King Charles II. It was designed by William Robinson, Surveyor General of Ireland.
Its angled bastions made it almost impossible to attack from the sea, but the fort had one weakness: it is overlooked by high ground inland. In 1690 Williamite forces led by John Churchill, later Duke of Marlborough, placed their cannon on those heights. After a 13-day siege the Jacobite governor, Sir Edward Scott, surrendered.
The fort remained a British Army garrison for more than two centuries, with barracks for hundreds of soldiers. It was handed over to the Irish Free State in 1922 and burned by anti-Treaty forces later that year.
Declared a National Monument in 1971, Charles Fort has since been carefully restored by the Office of Public Works, and its walls offer some of the finest views on the south coast.
Visitor Guide · Summercove
Charles Fort guards the entrance to Kinsale Harbour, a short drive from the town. It is one of the largest military forts in Ireland, with sweeping views over the harbour and out to the Atlantic.
Walk the massive bastioned walls for sweeping views over the harbour, across to James Fort and out to the open sea.
Explore the roofless barrack blocks and the on-site exhibition about the soldiers and families who lived inside the walls.
A scenic harbourside path linking Kinsale town with the fort. Ask your driver to drop you at one end and collect you at the other.
The pretty fishing village below the fort, with a traditional pub on the water’s edge. Perfect for a drink in the sunshine.
Private Fleet Options
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
1–4 Guests3 optimal
Leather interior, dual-zone climate control, spacious luggage capacity.
Mercedes-Benz V-Class
Up to 8Guests
Elevated panoramic touring views, expansive legroom, conference seating available.
Lunch, drinks and optional admissions:
| Site | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|
| Blarney Castle | €24 | €12 |
| Charles Fort | €5 | €3 |
Charles Fort free with OPW card.
Reservations & Direct Enquiries
We also create bespoke private tours of West Cork and anywhere in Ireland. Simply ask.
Redmond
Chauffeur Drive
Executive Private Hire & Bespoke Coastal Touring