Charles Fort (Ireland)
Charles Fort | ||
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Model of the Charles Fort |
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Creation time : | 1670 | |
Castle type : | Star-shaped fortress | |
Conservation status: | Received or received substantial parts | |
Place: | Kinsale | |
Geographical location | 51 ° 41 '47 .4 " N , 8 ° 29' 56.4" W | |
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Charles Fort ( Irish Dún Chathail ) is a star-shaped fortress located on the waterfront at the southern end of Summer Cove on Kinsale Bay, Ireland . Across from the Charles Fort is the James Fort on the other side of the bay .
Charles was built on the site of what used to be a fortress called Ringcurran Castle. This was important in the 1601 siege of Kinsale . The fort was built as a star-shaped fortress in the 1670s and 1680s under the direction of Sir William Robinson , who also built the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin . The star-shaped arrangement was specially designed to withstand cannon attacks.
The fort played an important role during the siege of Kinsale in 1690 in the Wilhelmine War (1689–1691) . James II fled to France from Kinsale after the lost battle of the Boyne in 1690. After the siege, the fort was used as a barracks for the British Army for several hundred years .
Under the Anglo-Irish Treaty , the fort was abandoned and burned down during the Irish Civil War in 1922 . In 1971 the remaining parts were placed under protection as a national monument.
Today the fort, which also houses a small museum, can be visited by the public.