A folk park and poetry in Limerick...
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| To learn more about the history here, we spent the morning at Bunratty Folk Park, a 26 acre living reconstruction of the homes and environment of Ireland over a century ago. Rural farmhouses, furnished as they would have appeared at the time, a village street complete with shops, mills, a church and gardens to wander through. It was an interesting and informative glimpse into the way of life of the 19th century. |
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| We are intrigued by the thatched roof cottages that are still very prevalent in the countryside (including the one in which we are staying). We were given a pretty thorough lesson about reeds, the structure and the process of thatching a roof. It makes us appreciate them even more. |
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| O'Brien's Tower House is now known as Bunratty Castle. Built in 1425, it houses exquisite 15th and 16th century furnishings, tapestries and works of art. Mr. MacBride, a docent, spent a great deal of time filling in some of the vast gaps of our knowledge of Irish history. |
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| The town of Limerick was our next stop with a visit to the City Museum, housing more than 40,000 objects illustrating all aspects of the past of Limerick City and surrounding areas from earliest times to the present day. We then strolled its streets, each with detailed plaques describing the historical significance of the specific location (and there were many). King John's Castle, on the River Shannon, is an distinct monument in Limerick. Dating from 1210, it is one of Ireland's most impressive Anglo-Norman castles. |
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| Irish history is full of conflicts, many religious based. The Treaty Stone, perched on the shore, is where the treaty that ended the Second Siege of Limerick occurred in 1691. The treaty promised religious freedom to the Catholics but two months later England had reneged. Yes, a great deal of conflict! |
There once was a girl from the USA
who came to Italy for a yearlong stay.
When it was done
she wanted more fun
and went off to Ireland to play!
who came to Italy for a yearlong stay.
When it was done
she wanted more fun
and went off to Ireland to play!
2 comments:
You are a poet
and you know it.
I love open-air museums, well, at least I loved the one in Arnhem, Netherlands. Were there any restaurants there? I had the best poffertjes there. Mmmmm. Poffertjes...
Looks like a history FILLED day,
of play!
***
I am thinking the thatched roof is my favorite thing, it would be so fun to see how that is done. Nick said his family when they lived in Hungary lived in a house with a roof like that! Very cool!
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