 Irish countryside from the bus |
 Irish countryside from the bus |
 Irish countryside from the bus |
 Limerick City Marina from Arthur's Quay Park in Limerick |
 Limerick City Marina from Arthur's Quay Park in Limerick |
 King John's Castle from Arthur's Quay Park |
 King John's Castle from Arthur's Quay Park |
 King John's Castle from Arthur's Quay Park |
 Thomond Bridge(1836)- Seven-arch rock-faced limestone road bridge spanning the River Shannon , |
 Saint Munchin's (Roman Catholic) Church and Treaty Stone monument across the River Shannon |
 Black bird at Arthur's Quay Park |
 Escalator in Arthur's Quay Shopping Center |
 Heading towards Ireland's tallest Spire at St John's Cathedral |
 St John's Cathedral Tower(1878)- the tallest spire in Ireland and the tallest structure in Limerick |
 St John's Square informative facts |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Square Apartments |
 St John's Square large tree that saved us from the rain |
 St John's Square- Square Bar that wasn't open yet, hence the need for tree coverage |
 St John's Cathedral- Bishop John Ryan laid its foundation stone in 1856 a mere decade after the Great Famine |
 St John's Cathedral- We were unable to visit inside because a funeral was happening at the time |
 St. John’s Fountain AKA Cathedral fountain(1865)- free-standing limestone and marble structure in a Gothic Revival style |
 1 of 4 plaques reads- “The inhabitants of St. John’s Square are earnestly requested to protect this fountain from injury” |
 St John's Cathedral- Named such because the Knights Templar had a house in the area @12th century dedicated to John the Baptist |
 St John's Cathedral- composed of locally sourced limestone which is used to face the building & for the Gothic Revival detailing |
 St John's Cathedral- The design and plans were inspired by Saint Chad's Cathedral, Birmingham |
 St John's Cathedral Tower- The spirelettes which stand guard at the top of the tower and base of the spire are 30ft high |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 St John's Churchyard |
 Totally cool manhole covers |
 Totally cool manhole covers |
 Heading towards the castle on John's Street |
 Limerick's canal from Mary Street Bridge as we cross onto King's Island |
 Fanning's Castle Ruins(1641) built by Mayor of Limerick Dominic Fanning, originally five storeys high |
 Fanning's Castle Ruins(1641)- The tower house incorporated a turret staircase and battlements. |
 Fanning's Castle Ruins(1641)- The windows show ogee and mullions. |
 Fanning's Castle Ruins(1641)- Info sign |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral-the last King of Munster, founded the cathedral on the site in the centre of the early medieval Viking city |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- The cathedral graveyard contains many graves and tombs of notable people |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- The physician Samuel Crumpe is buried in the graveyard near the great west door |
 Prince Milo of Montenegro, Frances Condell (1st woman Mayor of Limerick) & Bishop Charles Graves are interred on the grounds |
 The last High King of Munster, Domnall was purportedly buried in the Cathedral, remnants of his stone coffin still visible |
 Also notable are the Sexton, Barrington, Boyd and Vanderkiste tombs along the south entrance pathway |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 Nelly's Corner- a classy, quaint, stylish place to relax with great coffee and wonderful scones |
 Nelly's Corner |
 Nelly's Corner |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- Limerick Cathedral dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and was founded in 1168 |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- is the oldest building in Limerick which is in use |
 In 1651, after Oliver Cromwell's forces captured Limerick, the cathedral was used as a stable by the parliamentary army |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- It has the only complete set of misericords left in Ireland. |
 A misericord is a small wooden shelf on the underside of a folding seat intended to support one standing for long prayers |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- Five chandeliers hang from the ceiling lit only on special occasions |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral |
 St. Mary's Cathedral- Pre-Reformation high altar, largest such altar in Ireland & UK, carved from a single limestone block |
 Row of colorful houses just behind St. Mary's Cathedral |
 The Widows Alms Houses (1691)- Historic row of 5 restored limestone buildings that housed widows of royal soldiers. |
 King John's Castle- Visitor Centre |
 King John's Castle- Visitor Centre |
 King John's Castle- Visitor Centre |
 King John's Castle- Visitor Centre |
 King John's Castle- Visitor Centre |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 Thomond Bridge, the earliest bridge over River Shannon, was built near a fording point |
 View of Thomond Bridge from King John's Castle- The current bridge was built in 1836, replacing the earlier bridge |
 King John's Castle |
 Thomond Bridge from King John's Castle- the scene of a failed defending of the city during the Siege of Limerick |
 View of River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 View of Thomond Bridge from King John's Castle |
 View of Thomond Bridge from King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 Saint Munchin's Church of Ireland |
 River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 King John's Castle |
 Saint Munchin's Church of Ireland |
 Saint Munchin's Church of Ireland |
 Saint Munchin's Church of Ireland(1827) built near the site of the old church |
 The old church of St. Munchin's is said to have been built in 561, & to have once been the cathedral of the diocese of Limerick |
 River Shannon from King John's Castle |
 Jones Mausoleum- Erected in 1850, this Neoclassical, limestone mausoleum holds the remains of the Jones family |
 Saint Munchin's Church of Ireland |
 The graveyard contains many interesting stone grave markers & table-tombs dating from the eighteenth & the nineteenth century |
 Treaty Stone- Monument with a stone said to be used in the signing of the 1691 Treaty of Limerick ending the Williamite War |
 The Curragower- Gastropub on the River Shannon |
 The Curragower with it's lovely flower baskets on an old stone wall |
 King John's Castle from across the River Shannon |
 Dog and Duck |
 Literally a dog swimming with his duck friends |
 Illumination as to why there are so many pubs in Ireland and England named Dog and Duck |
 I think they must do this every day, the dog had a particular path and the ducks would stick with him |
 Another picture perfect house with foliage |
 Wonderfully peaceful little neighborhood |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 DSCN5537 (800x600).jpg |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Another thistle for Thistle |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Another thistle for Thistle |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park- The heretic goat |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle- in Irish means river basin of the Ratty river, which flows alongside the castle into the nearby Shannon estuary |
 Bunratty Castle- The site of a Norsemen settlement/trading camp destroyed by Brian Boru in 977 |
 Bunratty Castle- 1st motte & bailey castle built by Robert De Muscegros around 1250 |
 Bunratty Castle- Thomas De Clare, a descendant of Strongbow built the first stone structure, the second castle, in 1276 |
 Bunratty Castle-In 1353 the 3rd castle was built for the English Crown to guard access via the Shannon estuary against attack |
 Bunratty Castle - The fourth castle, the present structure, was built by the MacNamara family after around 1425 |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Parkg |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Durty Nelly's- 1620-era thatched-roof cottage with lanterns and sawdusty floors, once a bar for castle guards |
 Durty Nelly was keeper of the toll-bridge over the river, those who could not pay in cash paid in kind |
 Durty Nelly's- A quintessential Irish pub that has been been part of the landscape at Bunratty for almost four hundred years |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle- there was awesome entertainment all night but apparently this candle was fascinating |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |
 Traditional Irish Night at Bunratty Castle & Folk Park |