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Lingering awhile in Limerick
By MALCOLM ROGERS
 MALCOLM ROGERS journeys to the county of the Cranberries, Richard Harris and Frank McCourt, to see if Limerick really is a lady, or whether she’s a bit of a tarnished old duchess these days.
A letter appeared recently in the Irish Times from a gentleman in Dublin.
It read: “I have just returned from a day trip to Limerick. Within five minutes of my arrival in the city centre two wild dogs ran by me and a drunken gentleman shouting obscenities in a butcher’s window collapsed, shattering the shop’s window.
I was impressed by the improvement since the last time I was there, Yours etc, Adrian Weckler, Glasnevin.”
Yes, regrettably Limerick city has something of a bad name these days. But the situation is exaggerated. I blame the journalists, of course. Instead of reporting that there are more castles in Limerick than you could shake a pikestaff at, that the City contains one of the finest museums and art galleries in these islands, and that Lough Gur has to be one of the most astounding lakes in Ireland, the press just wants to concentrate on the seamier side of life.
To be fair, Limerick city has always had its extreme side. Human habitation can be traced hereabouts to 3,500 BC. Thereafter, the usual suspects arrived. The Vikings fetched up here in about 922 and settled at the lowest crossing point of the river Shannon where it meets the sea. Hot on the heels of the Danes and co. came the Normans in the 12th and 13th centuries, followed a few years later by those two agents of bloodletting in Ireland, Edward the Bruce and Oliver Cromwell.
Although experiencing the full gambit of Ireland’s turbulent history, two particular episodes are writ large in the city’s folk memory. The first was the surrender of Patrick Sarsfield in 1691, ending the Siege of Limerick. You can still visit the Treaty Stone on Thomond Bridge where a concordant was signed between Pat and the Williamites.
From Sieges to the Soviet Union. In 1919 a group of workers set up the Independent Republic of Limerick Soviet in protest at the repressive British martial law. The workers published newspapers, issued their own currency — and won global publicity. They applied to join the USSR, but the Soviet authorities never replied to the Limerick workers’ letter. Two weeks later the apparatus of the new state was dismantled, but the episode is still celebrated throughout the world.
Lough Gur
This small horseshoe-shaped lough about 12 miles south of Limerick, is beautifully situated in a cluster of limestone hills, and is notable, not only for its scenery, but as an archaeological site of foremost importance. Here, for over 5,000 years, Limerick Man has been hunting, gathering and farming. This is one of Europe’s most significant prehistoric sites — Megalithic remains include stone circles, wedge-shaped gallery graves, and artifacts ranging from prehistoric pottery to bronze axes. The centrepiece of the site is the small rise known as Knockadoon whose slopes are dotted with earthworks some five to six thousand years old.
Of more recent construction are two medieval castles which brood over the lake, Bouchier’s Castle and Black Castle. An under-stated (and all the better for that) Heritage Centre puts this treasure trove of ancient remains into context.
Adare
Among the towns worthy of note, Adare is widely regarded as one of the prettiest in Ireland. Standing on the east bank of the River Maigue, it’s a fairy-tale cluster of medieval buildings, thatched cottages, abbeys, castles and antique shops.
This has long been an important religious town — Franciscans, Augustinians and German Lutherans have all left their mark. An Augustinian Priory, founded in 1316, sits hard by the town bridge. Entering the Priory is like opening a door into Medieval Ireland — spooky, spiritual and uplifting at the same time.
Adare also boasts several hostelries of note. If you see a photo of Adare Manor, perched beside the river, and flanked by formal gardens, you may think for a moment you’ve got your brochures mixed up and this is a French chateau in the Loire valley or the like. But no, it’s not the Languedoc, it’s the sweet County Limerick, and this huge gothic revival pile was built in 1832 by the Second Earl of Dunraven. Dunraven’s Dunroamin’, in fact.
You can visit the house, the formal gardens or stay a night — but it’ll cost you. Prices for B&B begin at Stg£100. Tel: 353 61 396566.
Croom
Situated on the River Maigue, the village of Croom is just about in the dead centre of Co. Limerick. The old castle of the Geraldines lies behind the high wall that borders the road on the southern approach to the village, and there’s a real hint of old Ireland in the air.
However, Croom’s main claim to fame is poetic. The town is celebrated as the meeting place of the 18th century Filí na Máighe. These poets, writing as gaeilge, produced a huge body of literature — and here a contentious issue enters the story: This could be the very place where the poetic form known as the ‘limerick’ may have entered the language (and before you put pen to paper, yes, there are several alternative theories for the origins of the poetic form).
The Croom version is that the light verse was the invention of the Maigue poets, such as one which began: “Is duine mé dhiolas leann lá.”James Clarence Mangan translated this whole poem as follows:
“I sell the best brandy and sherry,
To make my good customers merry,
But at times their finances,
Run short as it chances,
And then I felt very sad, very.”
This, of course, led to the verse form beloved throughout the world, which gave us gems such as:
“One day while eating Chinese,
I dropped sweet and sour on my knees,
My shoes were corroded,
My trousers exploded,
And I went home in a pair of lychees.”
Rightly does one limerick warn:
“The Limerick is furtive and mean;
You must keep her in close quarantine,
Or she sneaks into slums,
And promptly becomes,
Disorderly, drunk, and obscene.”
Bruree
Bruree was the residence of the Munster kings in ancient times — large earthen ring forts bear testimony to this. In medieval times the place became the stronghold of the de Laceys, the illustrious Anglo-Norman family.
The ruined castle beside the church was part of the formidable de Lacy fortress, erected by the Knights Templars. The castle, with its ramparts 120 yards in circumference, overlooks a picturesque six-arched bridge spanning the River Maigue.
One of the most eye-catching attractions at Bruree is the Old Corn Mill, which stands dramatically on a rocky ledge above a waterfall in the river
Maigue.
A small museum is dedicated to the memory of Eamon de Valera, who was brought up just outside the village and went to school in
Bruree. The school is now the De Valera Museum and Bruree Heritage Centre. The stone building, which was built in 1862, is packed with de Valera memorabilia including the bulky trunk that was used to carry the de Valera family’s possessions from New York to Ireland when Éamon was only four.
Castles in Limerick
It’s estimated that Limerick once had 2,700 of them throughout the county — strongholds, forts and grand castles.
Matrix Castle (probably derived from the Irish ‘máthair’ or mother, or perhaps the ‘matres’ a sanctuary) is a couple of miles down the road from Adare. It’s a Geraldine fortification, built about 1410, but with some early 17th century additions. Restored recently, the castle possesses a fine library, especially notable for its collection of documents relating to the Wild Geese.
If you’re walking in the garden tread softly — it is rumoured that this is the hallowed ground where the potato was first introduced into these islands from America. According to tradition Sir Walter Raleigh, the man who probably bought the potato and tobacco to these islands, met the poet Edmund Spenser here.
The place is open for banquets, tours, bed & breakfast. Tel 00-353-69 64284
Glin Castle is an elegant ‘big house’ adjacent to the site of an ancient medieval castle. Owner of the castle today is the 19th Knight of Glin, who still lives in the building’s west wing. The rest of the place now operates as a hotel.
The current Knight is in the antique business, and he has accrued some exceptional pieces to furnish the castle. The family silver is used in the dining room, where huge banquets are served using local ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables from Glin’s extensive gardens.
Double rooms begin at Stg£185, including breakfast. Five-course dinners begin at Stg£32. Tel: 00 353 68 34173
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