February 29-March 4, 2019

Kinsale is a small, picturesque town in County Cork. While it once was a bustling port, it’s now known as the gourmet city of Ireland. Located on the River Bandon, you spot it’s brightly-colored shops and buildings arranged neatly along its narrow, curved roads. It is a favorite destination for both the the Irish and foreigners.

The Kinsale Lions hosted an excellent convention, showcasing the best of Kinsale and the Lions of Ireland. We arrived after a 24 hour flight delay out of cold, snowy Minneapolis, and started with a visit to their local school in a steady rain. Needless to say, the green grass was such a welcome sight that we didn’t mind the rain! VP Brian was able to plant a tree in the schoolyard and later, address a group of students and teachers about the Leo program and the importance of youth leadership opportunities. DG Frank O’Donaghue is hoping to start a new club there and it was great to see such a supportive and engaged staff. The musical welcome by the students was awesome!!!

At the convention opening session, we had the pleasure of meeting two outstanding women, both from Kinsale. Dr. Tara Shine is an Environmental Scientist and Madeleine Murray is an archeologist. Together they created Plastic Free Kinsale and Change by Degrees, and have consulted with world governments as well as locals to promote convenient sustainability in communities and businesses. The Lions of Ireland voted to partner with them – what a perfect fit or our Environment avenue of service.

The Royal Navy pulled a ship into port to honor DG Frank and guests, and hosted a reception onboard as well as provided tours throughout the weekend. We attended another civic reception with community leaders who expressed their thanks to the Lions of Ireland for their service. VP Brian was honored to present Ireland’s Minister of Defense with the beautiful Peace Poster plaque! Our evening topped off with a dine-around which included 180 Lions assigned to dine at different restaurants throughout the city. We ate at the wonderful Bulman restaurant and had a great night meeting some of our new Lions family! I loved this dinner concept as it allowed business brought in by the Lions to be distributed throughout the town.

VP Brian presented to their 300 delegates and also heard an exceptional talk by Mark Mallet, Vice Admiral and Chief of Defense of the Irish Defense Forces. VP Brian also presented him with a Peace Poster plaque at the gala ball.

The spouse program was a first for me – a ghost and city history tour, whiskey & gin tasting and lunch at The Blue Haven. Such a fun tour and day with this group!

After the convention was over, several in the group took us out for the evening. It was spent having traditional fish & chips and enjoying Irish music at Kitty O’Shea’s!

Things we learned we learned:

When the Irish offer two sides with your meal, remember potatoes are not included in that. 2-4 versions will be served along with your sides!

Fish & Chips are not English or Irish. They were first brought to Dublin by a couple from Italy!

Imagine the looks on our faces when the group announced they were going to find a spot on our last evening for a “bit of music and crack!” Spelled, craic, we can assure you it’s no more than a wee bit of Irish fun!

Wiped an eye! Used when someone cons someone.

Ballysheughnagullion. A fictitious town we can mention when visiting an Irish pub in the States, and the bartender claims to be Irish.

Hooley. We moved on from a craic to a hooley (more fun, music and dance).

Thank you Lions of Ireland for making our stay with you in Kinsale such a memorable experience! Congratulations DG Frank & Elaine on a fabulous Convention, and thank you PDG Bernard & Kate for transporting us on to Belfast!