We woke up today to a beautiful day. We had decided to go to Limerick.
King John's Castle was our first stop. It is named for King John although he had never been to the castle. This is the best preserved castle we have seen so far. The new visitors centre had lots of info about the castle and what life would have been like over the various centuries.
One of the most interesting things was the archaeological discoveries when the site was being prepared for the new visitors centre. Discovered were 3 hidden houses they think were Viking in origin. Also were found the mine passages that were built in the great siege of 1642. The remains of a medieval garrison and soldiers quarters
was recently discovered close to the sallyport area of the castle and can be viewed from the courtyard. Another siege 1690-1691 lead to the signing of the Treaty of Limerick.
In the 1930's row houses were built in the court yard of the castle. This was housing for the poor.
We went to another part of town to see the Milk Market. It was to have a Sunday Market. It turned out not to be much of a market. Then we went in search of the Tait Clock. The clock was built in 1867.
We returned to King's Island to see St. Mary's Cathedral. It was built in 1168. It was a beautiful cathedral in its simplicity. How it made it through the terrible 17th century we are not sure. We were told there has been a Christian service here every day since the cathedral was built. It changed between catholic and protestant sects at the will of the kings. The cathedral has been added to over the centuries. The inside walls are very rough. There were beautiful stain glass windows, antique chandeliers and some antique furniture. It was a wonderful way to end the day.
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