Sights in County Limerick
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Hunt Museum
Although named for its benefactors, this museum might well be named for a treasure hunt. Visitors are encouraged to open drawers and otherwise poke around the finest collection of Bronze Age, Iron Age and medieval treasures outside Dublin. The 2000-plus items are from the private collection of the late John and Gertrude Hunt, antique dealers and consultants, who championed historic preservation throughout the region. Look out for a tiny but exquisite bronze horse by da Vinci, and a Syracusan coin thought to have been one of the 30 pieces of silver paid to Judas for his betrayal of Christ. Cycladic sculptures, a Giacometti drawing and paintings by Renoir, Picasso and Jack …
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Georgian House
There is an engaging eeriness about the lofty, echoing rooms of the restored Georgian House, a recreation showing how Limerick’s swells once lived. Lavish marble, stucco and wall decorations adorn the main rooms, while things are decidedly downscale when you reach the bare boards and dusty furnishings of the servants’ quarters. You’ll say ‘Brace yourself, Bridget!’ reading the hackneyed but entertaining limericks on various wall plaques. The restored back garden is an antidote – and beautiful contrast – to the plain fronts on the street. It leads to a coach house that contains a photographic memoir of Limerick. A small Ashes Exhibition linked to novelist Fra…
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Ashes Exhibition
There is an engaging eeriness about the lofty, echoing rooms of the restored Georgian House, a re-creation showing how Limerick's swells once lived. Lavish marble, stucco and wall decorations adorn the main rooms, while things are decidedly downscale when you reach the bare boards and dusty furnishings of the servants' quarters.
You'll say 'Brace yourself Bridget!' reading the hackneyed but entertaining limericks on various wall plaques. The restored back garden leads to a coach house that contains a photographic memoir of Limerick. Things get truly downscale in the small but evocative Ashes Exhibition , which features a reconstruction of the childhood home of novelist Fr…
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Limerick City Gallery of Art
Limerick's excellent gallery was undergoing refurbishments at the time of writing, but should have reopened in all its glory by the time you're reading this. Among its permanent collection of traditional paintings from the last 300 years are works by Sean Keating and Jack B Yeats. Check out Keating's atmos pheric Kelp Burners and Sir John Lavery's Stars in Sunlight; both infuse their subjects with inner light and a certain joy. The gallery also stages changing exhibitions of often pseudo-scandalous works and is the home of ev+a, a long-running city-wide contemporary annual art exhibition. Check the website for dates.
The gallery is beside the peaceful People's Park, at the…
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Adare Castle
Dating back to around 1200, this picturesque feudal ruin saw rough usage until it was finally wrecked for good by Cromwell's troops in 1657. By then it had already lost its strategic importance. Restoration work is ongoing; look for the ruined great hall with its early 13th-century windows.
Book tours through the Heritage Centre. When tours aren't on, you can view the castle from the busy main road, or more peacefully from the riverside footpath or the grounds of the Augustinian priory.
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St Mary's Cathedral
Limerick's ancient cathedral was founded in 1168 by Donal Mór O'Brien, king of Munster. Parts of the 12th-century Romanesque western doorway, nave and aisles survive, and there are splendid 15th-century black-oak misericords (support ledges for choristers), unique examples of their kind in Ireland. Call ahead to confirm opening hours and to check if there are any musical events scheduled.
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King John's Castle
The massive curtain walls and towers of Limerick's showpiece castle are best viewed from the west bank of the River Shannon. The castle was built by King John of England between 1200 and 1212 on the site of an earlier fortification. It served as the military and administrative centre of the rich Shannon region.
Inside there are recreations of brutal medi- eval weapons like the trebuchet, as well as excavated Viking sites, reconstructed Norman features and other artefacts. Walk the walls and imagine you're carrying a bucket of boiling oil.
Across medieval Thomond Bridge, on the other side of the river, the Treaty Stone marks the spot on the riverbank where the Treaty of Lime…
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Adare Heritage Centre
In the middle of the village, exhibits at Adare's heritage centre explain the history and the medieval context of the village's buildings in an entertaining way. Try picking up the longbow (have you had your spinach today?). Quality Irish crafts are on sale, there's also a busy cafe.
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Limerick City Museum
This small museum is beside King John's Castle. Exhibits include Stone Age and Bronze Age artefacts, the civic sword, Limerick silverwork, and examples of Limerick's lace and kid-glove manufacturing. Tough times in the late 19th century are also covered.
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ev+a
The Limerick City Gallery of Art is the home of ev+a, a long-running city-wide contemporary art exhibition held each spring.
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Treaty Stone
The Treaty Stone marks the spot on the bank of the River Shannon where the Treaty of Limerick was signed.
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Thomond Park Stadium
From 1995 until 2007, the Munster rugby team was undefeated in this legendary stadium, which was massively rebuilt in 2008, the year they won the Heineken European Cup for the second time. Tours of the hallowed ground include its memorabilia-filled museum. It's an easy 1km walk northwest of the centre along High St.
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Religious Houses
Before the Tudor dissolution of the monasteries (1536–39), Adare had three flourishing religious houses, the remains of which can still be seen. In the village itself, next to the heritage centre, the dramatic tower and southern wall of the Church of the Holy Trinity date from the 13th-century Trinitarian priory that was restored by the first Earl of Dunraven. Holy Trinity is now a Catholic church. There's a restored 14th-century dovecote down the side-turning next to the church.
The ruins of a Franciscan friary, founded by the Earl of Kildare in 1464, stand in the middle of Adare Manor golf course beside the River Maigue. Public access is assured, but let them know at t…
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Georgian House & Garden
There's an engaging eeriness about the lofty, echoing rooms of the restored Georgian House, a re creation showing how Limerick's swells once lived. Lavish marble, stucco and wall decorations adorn the main rooms, while things are decidedly downscale when you reach the bare boards and dusty furnishings of the servants' quarters. The hackneyed but entertaining limericks on various wall plaques are a treat. Out back, the restored garden is an antidote – and beautiful contrast – to the plain fronts on the street. It leads to a coach house that contains a photographic memoir of Limerick.
reviewed
