Dingle & Adare to Limmerick

Today is our last full day on the beautiful Emerald Isle . . . don’t worry - there will be a FINAL POST to the blog on Sunday summarizing my thoughts on Ireland . . . so don’t forget to check back one last time.

Once more we packed our bags, and loaded the car. Eva’s little cottage had been our perfect home in Dingle – so close to everything and quite enjoyable walking all over Dingle. Before we left the town, Tom and I went back to the shop where we had purchased our Irish folk concert tickets, yesterday. We really wanted to let them know just how much we had enjoyed it.

 

Instead of driving the Wild Atlantic Way, we went up over the mountain pass. The Connor Pass is Ireland’s highest, and provides splendid views over the Brandon and Tralee Bays. As usual, the road became more narrow, and I saw a sign that really got my attention. It said ACHTUNG! TURN BACK NOW – and showed a picture of a truck and a camper with a slash through them. There are only a few places on the pass where opposing cars can get past each other, and there are only a few pull-overs.

 

The cliffs were right up against the road on one side, and there was a steep drop-off with no guard rail on the other – and I should have mentioned throughout the blog posts that all roads in Ireland have no shoulders whatsoever – which makes them even more treacherous on top of the left hand driving !

When we got to the top, there was a parking area, and although the wind was howling – temps were in the 40s – the views were spectacular ! Way below us in the valley we could see the remains of two Iron-Age villages (that’s way into the BC years about  2000 BC), with circular forts and bee-hive huts. As we continued down the other side of the pass, there was another small parking lot in front of a waterfall. There was a sign there that explained that the small lakes that we could see had been caused by glaciers during the ice age.

We were soon at sea-level, and began to follow our route to Limerick, a two-hour drive away. There was NO MORE hair-raising driving, as the roads were wide, smooth, and straight – finally I could breathe a little bit easier.

About 20 minutes from Limerick, we came to Village of Adare. With its thatched cottages and beautiful park, it is considered “Ireland’s Prettiest Village”. The beautification of this estate village was a personal project of the third Earl of Dunraven, who in the early 19^th century wished to create a bucolic haven and indulge his passion for early Irish architecture.

Adare contains numerous medieval buildings, including three monasteries, two still in use – the White Abbey and the Black Abbey, and the third a ruin. The nearby ruined Desmond Castle was erected around the early part of the 13^th century. In the middle of the village is the Heritage Center, which explains the history of the village, and next door is the 15^th Century Catholic Parish Church, once part of the Trinitarian Abbey – the White Abbey.

 

This is quite significant for Tom as he went to high school in Hyattsville, MD – DeMatha Catholic High School and run by the Trinitarian Order of priests – it is their only high school in the US. The Trinitarians are known for their white robes with red and blue cross on the chest.

St. John DeMatha (namesake of DeMatha Catholic High School) and St. Felix of Valois founded an order dedicated to the Holy Trinity outside Paris in the late twelfth century. Their intention was to help the poor and to ransom captured Christians taken by pirates or during the Crusades. The Trinitarians or White Friars as they were known because of their white robes emblazoned with a red and blue cross, spread quickly. The Trinitarian Abbey in Adare was probably established between 1230 and 1240, and is the only Trinitarian Abbey in Ireland. By 1683 the abbey was a ruin and given to the Catholic Parish in Adare. The building was re-roofed and restored over the years and improvements continue today – and the abbey is absolutely brilliant.

Just up the road about 400 yads is the Augustinian Friary, now an Anglican Church and school. This monastery was founded in 1315. In addition to the Church several 15^th Century buildings remain on the property, and are now used as a school and parish hall.

We continued our drive to Limerick, and found our lodging for the night, a “room in a private house”. Fran is our host, and grew up in the 100 year-old row house that once belonged to her grandfather. She is an actor doing film, TV, stage, and advertisements – and quite an interesting character. Tom and I spent a bit of time with her learning about her profession, travels and accomplishments.

 

Fran recommended a restaurant (The Curragower – meaning The Old Goat) on the Shannon River overlooking King John's Castle for our last fish and chips dinner in Ireland – the portions are so large that Tom and I split a single dinner (along with our pint each of Smithwicks Ale) – it was so good ! So sad to be leaving tomorrow.