Free the Old Head of Kinsale
Free the Old Head of Kinsale is a campaign group in County Cork, Ireland which campaigns for the restoration of public access to the Old Head of Kinsale, a scenic landmark in West Cork.
The group maintains that there was full public access to the Old Head of Kinsale until 1997 when a private Golf Links course was constructed on part of the headland after which the owners blocked off public access. Free the Old Head of Kinsale dispute the golf club's right to deny a right the campaign believes has existed for centuries.
The Old Head of Kinsale juts into the Atlantic Ocean and widens out after a narrow isthmus at its entrance. It is at this point that access is blocked with gates, barbed wire and heavy security.
Free the Old Head of Kinsale has organised many protests at the gates of the Old Head Golflinks over the years, including the tactic of civil disobedience by making incursions over the walls and barbed wire.
The campaign is made up of a diverse grouping of people from all walks of life and has no formal leadership, however prominent individuals in the campaign include Ted Tynan and Diarmuid Ó Dálaigh.
The campaign group is currently taking a court action to establish the right-of-way.