The British are invading Ireland again. There has been a 9% increase in UK nationals living in the republic, according to the latest census, making the Brits the biggest ethnic group.

The 112,548 Britons in the 2006 census are blending in well. “The characteristics of UK nationals tend to be similar to those of the Irish population,” the Central Statistics Office said last week.

Unlike ethnic groups such as the Poles and Nigerians, the British tend to avoid Dublin and its suburbs and settle in country towns. Only 21 towns, out of a total of 165, have fewer than 50 Brits.

Cork is their favourite county and Kinsale can be said to be Ireland’s Little Britain. It has the highest percentage of Brits with 9% of its population, or 324 people, from the UK.

Others with a high proportion include Killorglin, Co Kerry (8%), followed by Carndonagh, Co Donegal, Virginia, Co Cavan, and Skibbereen, Co Cork (all with 6%).

The English first surrounded Kinsale in 1601, when a force led by Lord Mountjoy routed the Spanish and Irish. An English garrison remained until 1922. Soldiers and sailors who served there returned to retire, maintaining the UK connection.

The modern-day invasion by Britons is more benign: dozens of fiftysomethings and semi-retired businessmen have been attracted by this centre of yachting, angling, gourmet eating and golf. Typical is Claudine Sparks, 50, who moved two years ago from Devon to run an antiques shop. “My dad came to work here and I’d been coming every summer for 30 years,” Sparks said. “Kinsale’s changed a lot in the past 10 years. It’s not as quaint but it’s still a nice place to live.”

During the property boom, estate agents estimated that three-quarter of buyers were from the UK. They were following in the footsteps of Keith Floyd, the British celebrity chef, who lived at Creek Lodge.

Other celebrity residents included Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, the American actress, and her husband Pat O’Connor, the Irish film director. They lived in the old harbour master’s house until 2001.

Bookshop boss Matthew Geden, 42, moved to Kinsale from Coventry 18 years ago. “What was great right from the start was the cosmopolitan aspect, which meant you didn’t feel out of place,” he said.

“The town is still friendly and there’s acceptance of difference. New groups continually emerge. We have a growing Polish population nowadays.”

The town does not have the usual trappings of a British equivalent, however: there is no Marks & Spencer, Waitrose or Tesco. Pubs such as The Greyhound and the Tudor Bar serve stout, not bitter.

The prices are also Irish rather than British. Linda Walsh, another antiques shop owner who came to Kinsale 14 years ago, said that groceries are expensive.

“I suppose this has to do with Kinsale having such a short \ season of opportunity,” she said.

While the population is 3,000 at rest, it rises up to 9,000 during the summer.

A lack of parking is the most contentious issue. “There aren’t enough ‘normal’ shops either,” said Walsh. “But I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.”

The Britons’ toing and froing is helped by Kinsale’s proximity to Cork airport, just 13 miles away, with its flights to Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Southampton and London. The marina also sees plenty of international traffic, although the Manx fishing feet hasn’t been seen for a couple of hundred years.

Some locals fear that Kinsale may suffer in the downturn. “It’s not particularly self-sustaining,” said Vincent Buckely, a commercial traveller. “There’s no real industry so everything is commercial, and that creates problems. I’m not surprised that Brits want to live here because it’s lovely. But Kinsale needs to be considered as a community and that means it needs more infrastructure.”

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