Apologies for the image overload but I thought wargamers might appreciate the various plans as this would make a great model star fort but I digress....
This fort on the coast of County Cork is a bit of a neglected jewel of military fortifications. Built in the 1670s by William Robinson and named in honour of Charles II to protect against a possible French invasion. It's been modified since it fell in 1690 with the usual improvements. Whenever I visited it I was reminded of the Lakeside forts of America and how popular they were and how much interpretation there was going on but at Charles Fort there's simply a room with some pictures in it. It's not a neglected site and it is being interpreted well enough it's just it could be much more - it is such a great Fort. Being a keen reenactor at the time I visited I talked to the staff about putting on a reenactment of the siege of 1690 when the Duke of Marlborough reduced the Jacobite garrison in 13 days after having discovered the fort was overlooked by hills on the land side and placed his guns there. But of course Ireland isn't America as far as politics go, but that was then and now they have a successful Boyne visitors centre and a high profile reenactment behind their belts there so anything is possible. A Living History siege is something that interests me as the static element can allow for interaction between combatants and the public. Image search Charles Fort Kinsale
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