IRELAND
Munster Province
County Limerick
2,755 km² (1,064 mi²)ADARE
The "Culture Vulture" Tour
Thursday September 11th, 2008
Arriving the the quaint village of Adare, we were quickly able to locate our accomodations for the evening – Abbey Villa.
Now, it might sound like a paid advertisment, but Abbey Villa was the best Bed & Breakfast I stayed in while in Ireland. Very spacious, spotlessly clean, very well maintaind and exceptional value for money, comapred to the previous B&B's.
As this was to be our final night together, Roscoe & Marie, Batesy. Michelle & Matilda were all jetting out on Saturday so were headed to Dublin tomorrow, we all went out to the local burger joint for a feed and milkshakes.
Just so that you know, Adare is widely regarded as being Ireland’s prettiest and most picturesque village. Situated on the river Maigue, a tributary of the Shannon river.
Adare (Gaelic name: "Ath Dara" - the "ford of the oak" - from the combination of water and woodland) dates back, at least, to the early 13th century. During its long history, Adare, as a strategic location, has been the subject of many conquests, wars and rebellions.
The old town of Adare, which stood on the northern bank of the river Maigue, near the Desmond castle, was destroyed during the 16th century wars. Almost all of the present village was built in the 19th century. The early developments were very haphazard but from about 1820, streets and buildings were laid out according to the, then, Earl of Dunraven’s design. He built houses and rented them, under various agreements, to his tenants, working on his estate lands.
Today, Adare village has a rich wealth of heritage, as well as architectural and scenic beauty. Two groups of, world famous, ornate, thatched cottages line part off the village’s broad main street, punctuated with beautiful stone buildings, medieval monasteries and ruins.
