Limerick, Ireland

Located in the medieval quarter of Limerick, this is the castle of King John, as in the brother of Richard the Lionhearted in the Robin Hood tale. We learned so much about Ireland's history at this excellent castle museum.

Here is a view of the River Shannon from the ramparts of King John's Castle, which sits on King's Island. Vikings lived on this island as early as 922 A.D., but the castle was built in 1200 A.D. by King John of England.

St. Mary's Cathedral - the Church of Ireland is Catholic in its traditions and teachings but Protestant in that it does not recognize the pope. Beautiful artwork, stained glass windows, and oak wood bas-relief carvings highlight this lovely church.

A side view of St. Mary's Cathedral with a golden hint of the season we visited - early fall in the month of October. The blue doors and windows crisply trimmed in white caught my eye in this Limerick street view below. Limerick proved a good stop for a day of exploration.