Kinsale has a rich history and interesting women are very much a part of it. ‘Pirate Queen’ Anne Bonny, who was born at the Old Head of Kinsale circa 1698, is just one fierce example. Bonny always did what she wanted, her father disowned her for marrying a poor man, she had many affairs and left her husband for a pirate named Jack Rackham or ‘Calico Jack’. She and Rackham sailed the Carribean capturing ships and stealing treasure. Though women were said to be bad luck on board a ship, Bonny made no attempt to hide and allegedly stabbed a man in the heart for contesting her presence aboard. When Rackham, Bonny and the rest of their crew were eventually caught and arrested, Bonny got off lightly due to the fact that she was pregnant, but Rackham was sentenced to hang. Reportedly Bonny’s last words to her love were “I’m sorry to see you here, but if you had fought like a man then you need not have been hanged like a dog”.

In 1844 another fascinating female came to Kinsale, Joanna Bridgeman, who was to become Mother Mary Francis Bridgeman. Already known for her charisma and strong leadership qualities, she was part of a group that founded St. Joseph’s Convent and she went on to set up a school, a soup kitchen, an orphanage and even an industrial school where 150 girls were trained in lace-making and embroidery. When Cholera came to Kinsale, Bridgeman, with the help of the other sisters, took over the management of Kinsale’s workhouse and its 2,000 inmates. In 1854, during the devastation of the Crimean war, Bridgeman volunteered her services and was sent to Constantinople to aid in Florence Nightingale’s operation. Tensions grew between these two strong women, Bridgeman did not want to give over any authority to a secular woman and Nightingale did not appreciate her authority being questioned. Tensions came to a head when Inspector-General of Hospitals in the Crimea appointed Bridgeman as Superintendent of the Balaclava General Hospital without consulting Nightingale. When Nightingale eventually regained control of the hospital, Bridgeman resigned and returned to Kinsale where the school she had founded had grown to 1,000 attendants. She dedicated her later years to setting up daughter houses across Ireland.

Even long ago, the women of Kinsale were known for their individual style. Across Ireland hooded cloaks had long been a popular garment for women that symbolised wealth. These beautiful cloaks were of the highest quality and made in colours that represented the different counties. Unfortunately due to the social upheaval caused by English Rule and the Irish famine, by the Nineteenth century, these dramatic cloaks had practically disappeared from Ireland. However, the rebellious women of West Cork upheld the tradition and the statement piece continued to be worn here right up until the Twentieth Century. The Kinsale Cloak in particular had a reputation for being the most sophisticated and elegant. This striking black cloak differed from other cloaks due to the feature of a hood that could be worn up or down. Ellen Kirby and her daughter Mary Kirby were two of the best known cloak makers in the town and had a workroom at Fisher Street. In 1962, the cloaks regained attention when they were exhibited in one of Dublin’s leading fashion houses and then used for an Irish exhibition in a Lord and Taylor store in New York. Hollywood starlet Kim Novak even ordered herself a copy to be made in scarlet red.

In the 1960’s Kinsale became the place of residence for designer and typographer Elizabeth Friedlander. Friedlander had a very interesting life, born in Berlin in 1903 to German-Jewish parents she began her career designing headings for fashion journal Die Dame. By 1936 she was forced out of Germany after the Nazis came to power and moved to Milan where she worked for publishers and designed bookjackets and publicity materials. In 1939 she moved to London where she found a job at an advertising agency and took on work in the ‘black propoganda’ unit of the Wartime Ministry of Information, here she made counterfeit rubber stamps and ration books for the British. While in London she started a work relationship with Penguin books who commissioned her to design patterned papers and book covers, she also designed a special Penguin logo for the publishing company’s 25th birthday. When Friedlander moved to Kinsale in 1961 she continued her design work and also worked on calligraphic maps, lettering Irish proverbs on parchment and created keepsakes for Kinsale crafts.

Today, Kinsale is home to so many brilliant and successful women, a sample of business owners in the town shows that a whopping 44% are female and the chairperson of Kinsale’s Chamber of Tourism and Business is one of those very women. Guny Patel has spent her life dedicated to retail, she was Area Sales Manager for Demontfort Fine Art for 10 years and has over twenty years experience with both national and multinational companies. Since opening her lingerie boutique, Kinari, Patel has won 1 award for her business and has been a finalist for many more. Last year she also notably led Kinsale Chamber’s victory in being awarded €50,000 and the title of ‘Ireland’s Most Enterprising Town’ at the Bank Of Ireland Begin Again Awards!

Kinsale was the birthplace to the first woman to get a top cabinet post. Throughout her career Eileen Desmond, who was born at the Old Head of Kinsale, was a member of Cork county council, the Dáil, the Seanad, the European Parliament, the Council of Europe and the New Ireland Forum. She spent 20 years championing the rights of women and the under-privileged. Desmond who was revered for her hard work passed away in 2005.

Famous singer, Tori Amos, recorded her third album, ‘Boys For Pele’ at her beautiful Georgian house in Ballywilliam, Kinsale. This album sold 10 million records, making her one of the world’s biggest female recording artists, was nominated for a Grammy. No doubt the beautiful setting helped inspire her creativity.

Kinsale is the current place of residence for 2020’s travel journalist of the year, Isabel Conway. In under ten years Conway has won this prestigious title 3 times and she many other accolades under her belt. Conway writes for the travel pages of the Sunday Times, Irish Independent, The Business Post, Irish Examiner, Irish Daily Mail, Irish Sun, Sunday World. Conway also co-founded Travel Times, Ireland’s first consumer orientated online magazine. 

Kinsale is also the home to the founders of sustainability consultancy, Change by Degrees. Madeleine Murray and Dr. Tara Shine met at Sandycove where they both practice open water swimming. Murray is the first Irish sustainability adviser to use sustainability and UX as a problem solving tool for business and was the winner of the 2020 Emerging New Business Award at Network Cork. Dr. Tara Shine is an environmental scientist who has worked with the UN as co-facilitator of the second periodic review under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In April 2020 her book, ‘How to Save Your Planet One Object At A Time’ was published and in December 2020 she presented the prestigious 2020 Royal Institution Christmas Lecture.

These are only some of the many fascinating women in Kinsale, we are so proud to be a place that celebrates women and wish you all a happy International Women’s Day!