Ireland 5 - Adare & Limerick

We drove up north to Limerick, the third largest city in Ireland. Day 5 was supposed to be another cloudy, possibly rainy day. A city tour sounded appropriate. On the way to Limerick, we stopped by Adare. Founded in the 13th century, Adare is a medieval village, known for historic buildings. Lovely thatched cottages lined on N21, a major road that runs between County Kerry and County Limerick.

It looked that a couple of those cottages have re-thatched their roofs recently. I wonder how many years it would take to match the fresh golden color to the matured one.

Adare Town Park was right next to the row of the thatched cottages. It was a pleasant oasis off the busy road.

Across the road from the park was Holy Trinity Abbey Church. The church came into existence in 1226, ended up in ruin, but by the 19th century had undergone major renovation. We didn't have a chance to visit the church, though.

It was fun to find charming buildings in the small village. Actually it seemed almost all of its historical buildings sit on N21, which means there was only one street to walk and see.

We visited the Good Room Cafe for breakfast, which sits among the thatched cottages on, you guessed it, N21.

I ordered a fruit scone. Since I couldn't finish up two scones on the day before, I ordered only one. That was a mistake. This scone was super delicious!!!! Airy, moist, and amazingly tender, melt-in-mouth on the inside and lightly crunchy on the edges. It was still warm. Jam, cream and Irish butter were accompanied, and I put them on the scone, but it was so delicious that it would be delightful as is. Clearly this was so much better than those I had in the last two days. I could have had two or possibly three at once. Meanwhile, J had a full breakfast again. 

Near the cafe was Ponaire Coffee & Bespoke Irish Chocolate, a small shop offering handcrafted coffee and chocolates. The word of chocolate is a magnet for me. The shop was already open and we checked it out.

We both tried a piece of chocolate. Mine was supposed to be a dark chocolate with a kind of berry, but honestly it wasn't dark enough and didn't have much flavor. On the other hand J enjoyed his Irish Cream Liquor flavored milk chocolate. Also, we bought a bag of coffee beans for our Moka pot at home. A gentleman at the shop was friendly and helpful. 

The early 20th century town hall was another historical building there. 

Good-bye, Adare. It was time to continue our travel to Limerick. 

We arrived in Limerick. It was founded by the Vikings around 922, turned into a medieval walled town, then a Georgian city and is now the third largest urban centre on the island. We started exploring the old town, a part of an island known as King's Island. First we visited St Mary's Cathedral. Founded in the 12th century, the church is the oldest building in Limerick today and still in use for its original purpose.

King John's Castle stood not so far from the cathedral. The Normans captured Limerick in 1195. In the 13th century, the castle was built on a site that was previously a Viking settlement. We didn't enter the castle because the inside wouldn't offer much to see according to J's research. 

The mid-18th century building of former Bishop's Palace was located nearby the castle.

Behind the Bishop's Palace was St Munchin's Church, built in 1827 and deconsecrated in 1968.

We walked more on the King's Island and found Saint Mary's Church, a good example of a 20th century Hiberno-Romanesque style, which is the unique Irish Romanesque architectural and artistic style that flourished in Ireland during the 11th and 12th centuries. The church was actually located near St Mary's Cathedral.

Then we came back to King John's Castle again and crossed the bridge over River Shannon. It was cloudy but luckily no rain while we were in the city.

We walked along the river and crossed the next bridge to explore the city center. There were many shops and restaurants. Surprisingly, lots of cafes!  

The south of the city center is recognized as Georgian Quarter. It was built in the late 18th and early 19th century, featuring a grid-like street layout. When we found Tait’s Clock, we were already in Georgian Quarter. The limestone Gothic style clock tower was erected in 1867 to honor Alderman Peter Tait, a notable entrepreneur and Mayor of Limerick. 

We had a short break in People's Park, a public park in Georgian Quarter. Some roses were blooming and smelled nice. 

We walked more in Georgian Quarter, admiring its iconic uniform red brick buildings. 

Lunch time! We chose The SpitJack, a "rotisserie concept"restaurant with a focus on fresh, locally sourced ingredients. We both tried Rotisserie Roasted Chicken Burger - West Cork Chicken Breast, Cheddar Cheese, Baby Gem, Tomato, Pickled Red Onion on Brioche Bun. Garlic Aioli on the side as requested. I had soup (creamy vegetable) with the burger while J paired it with fries. A side salad was also served. 

The chicken tasted very good! I liked the soup, too. It was a lovely lunch!

By the way, after then we checked Dunnes Stores, a large Irish retail chain in the city center to see if they have pajama pants for J. We found one that looked fine although it didn't have a price tag. We took it to a casher to buy anyway and he told us it would cost 2 Euro. Unbelievable! 

On our way back to our hotel in Killarney, we drove through Adare. I was able to briefly see the Desmond Castle, the ruins of a 13th century castle, situated on the edge of the village of Adare. I hope we can visit there next time. There is also Adare Manor, an opulent Neo-Gothic manor hotel nearby. We would have a lunch or afternoon tea there after visiting the castle. 

To be continued...