A GOOD Samaritan in Kinsale went out of his way to find a tourist who had left a jewellery purchase behind – closing his shop to go and look for her.

Jim Collins, who runs Croí Kinsale Jewellery on Pearse Street, said his search to find the visiting tourist who had come off the cruise ship L’Ausrtral is all part of the customer experience that they offer.

‘We pride ourselves in going above and beyond in making sure the customer has a great experience. On Sunday May 24th a customer came in and tried on lots of earrings but was delighted to find a pair she liked and bought them,’ he told The Southern Star.

‘It was only afterwards that I noticed she left her earrings behind. The first chance I got I closed the shop at around 4pm and went around town looking for her and checked several pubs too where I thought she might have gone to.’

Luckily, he then bumped into local councillor Marie O’Sullivan also on Pearse Street and told her of his search for the tourist.

She rang council official Noreen O’Mahony, who was down at the pier, to check whether the tender boats for the cruise ship were still operating, which they were.

‘I headed there and met Barbara from Nantucket, USA and her friends who were sitting at the pier. She didn’t realise she had left her purchase behind in the shop and was delighted to get them back. We hugged each other too and it was lovely that she got reunited with her purchase.’

Cllr O’Sullivan described what Jim did as a lovely example of the welcoming and caring sprit that is very much alive among the people of Kinsale and highlighted the story at last week’s meeting of Bandon Kinsale Municipal District.

Cllr O’Sullivan said the incident captures the kind of visitor experience that people receive when they come to Kinsale.

‘It shows that we are caring people, that we genuinely welcome visitors and that we take pride in looking after those who come to our towns and communities,’ she added.

Kinsale will host six cruise calls during 2026.

A major highlight of the season will be the visit of Europa by Hapag-Lloyd Cruises in August, one of the world’s most prestigious luxury liners, carrying more than 400 passengers.