Today was a day for castles and churches. Today we traveled to Limerick with a stop in Adare along the way. It was along drive, but James, our guide, entertained us by sharing the history of Limerick, the “City of the Broken Treaty.” He recounted the story of the war between the Jacobites (followers of King James II) and Prince William of Orange. He also told us about Chuck Feeney, an Irish-American businessman and philanthropist who donated money to many Irish causes and helped fund the University of Limerick.

On our way to Limerick, we stopped at the Adare Heritage Center. We took a quick look at the shops there and then visited the Holy Trinity Abbey Church. It’s an impressive church with lovely stained glass windows. On our way out of town we passed by the Adare Manor Golf Club that will host the Ryder Cup next year.

Back on the road, we made our way to Limerick and along the way stopped to take photos of King John’s Castle and the Treaty Stone where the Treaty of Limerick was signed.

We passed through Limerick because our next stop was the Bunratty Castle and Folk Park. Bunratty Castle is an impressive edifice with over 600 years of Irish history. We would have walked through it, but again the stairs and small spaces were daunting, so we opted to just admire the outside and take pictures. The surrounding park had reproductions of rural houses and shops, some with thatched roofs, and we had fun exploring them. There were also many animals on the site, including two very friendly afghan hounds.

Back in Limerick, we checked into our hotel and had a few hours of free time to relax before dinner. Our evening meal was a Medieval Banquet at Knappogue Castle. Upon arriving we were greeted by costumed actors and ushered into a large hall with long tables. Throughout the four-course dinner, the actors danced and sang, accompanied by a fiddler and a harpist. I expected this to be one of those cheesy activities you might see in the states, but it wasn’t. The music was excellent and the wine was flowing all night. A good time was had by all.

Tomorrow we head to the Cliffs of Moher and on to Galway.