We were traveling on the Highlights of Ireland and Scotland bus tour in October and left the charming town of Adare--see prior post-- and drove north to Limerick, Ireland, where we would be staying for the night. Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, after Dublin and Cork, and is located next to the Shannon River. It was founded by Scandinavian settlers in 812, during the Viking Age.
We arrived just in time to settle into our hotel room and then leave for an optional outing to attend a banquet and show at a Medieval-era castle now called Knappogue Castle.
Our tour bus drove through the beautiful pastoral countryside as the sun was beginning to set.
We arrived at Knappogue Castle and were greeted by some of the actors and actresses who were performing that evening.
Please click on the photos above to read the interesting history of the castle built in 1467 by Sean MacNamara.
We were offered a glass of mead when we entered the castle, as musicians performed, and a few members of our tour were chosen to be the King and Queen and were given crowns and cloaks to wear.
There were quite a few fun "My Lords and Ladies" dialogues and skits from the performers during the evening.
There were a few harpists playing during the evening.
The harp has been a national symbol of Ireland for over 1,000 years, playing a central role in Irish myths, folklore, and literature.
There was a heavy fog hanging over the outskirts of Limerick, as you can see from this photo I took from the bus window, but we were hopeful the weather would cooperate later in the morning...more about that in my next Ireland post.
We enjoyed watching the entertainment -- acting, singing, and dancing-- as we dined.
A short video above of some of the singing and dancing during the show
The food was very good. We had a smoked salmon appetizer, root vegetable soup, roast chicken and vegetables, along with unlimited bread and wine, and dessert.
The next morning we were on our way for a stop at the scenic Cliffs of Moher, then on to Galway and Sligo.
There was a heavy fog hanging over the outskirts of Limerick, as you can see from this photo I took from the bus window, but we were hopeful the weather would cooperate later in the morning...more about that in my next Ireland post.
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