Four Green Fields

Stardate 67294.1

22:45 - Our day in Limerick helped us to explore the history of Ireland. We traveled around quite a bit at this point, but we welcomed a chance to actually stay in the city we were staying in. Out of all of the places we stayed, Limerick offered the best guide to the history of Ireland. Along the banks of the River Shannon lies an important piece of Irish history: King John's Castle. While the castle's namesake is English (see the lion in Disney's version of Robin Hood), the castle represents years of Irish oppression and rebellion.

Before King John ordered his castle built, Limerick started out as a Viking base.  They did their best to raid the local church buildings until the King of Munster put their shenanigans to rest in 943. Limerick remained a quite town with both Viking and Irish influences until the Anglo-Normans came knocking in 1172. In what would later become an ironic twist of fate, King Henry II (King John's papa) was authorized by Pope Adrian IV to invade Ireland and bring the Irish Catholic Church closer to the Roman one. So King Henry II helped the Anglo-Normans invade Ireland and named his son, John, Lord of Ireland. When John became King of England, he retained the title Lord of Ireland. King John's Castle began being built in the early part of the 13th century, mainly to protect the city of Limerick and its strategic location from the Gaelic tribes in the West.

Limerick's location as a strategic location did not diminish with time. Time and time again, the Irish did their best to take back King John's Castle and rule themselves. One such time was the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and the subsequent 1642 Siege of Limerick. As mentioned before, the original English goal for Ireland was to "bring them closer to the Pope" or at least that was the claimed moral reason. Well, this bit them in the ass when King Henry VIII upgraded his title from Lord of Ireland to King of Ireland and then went and made his own religious sect. Most of the Irish stayed with the Catholic Church. The Tudors, both King Henry VIII and Queen Elizabeth I, did not take to kindly to this. Harsher and harsher conditions were laid on the Irish until some decided to rebel. Well, the rebels were able to take King John's Castle by surrounding the castle and then digging under it. The Irish Confederate Army had no siege artillery, but they could knock a wall down by making the foundation uneasy. Although King John's Castle was surrendered to them, the Irish Confederate Army eventually lost their campaign.

By the Treaty Stone

The spirit of rebellion did not stop there. Later in the 17th century, King James II was expelled from Great Britain due to Catholic tendencies. King William and Queen Mary of Orange came in to take his place. However, some folks in Limerick did not like their new boss. Once again, King John's Castle became the site of a rebellion skirmish. The Irish fought to a draw where the Williamites signed a treaty granting the Irish freedom of religion and it allowed their army to go freely. The treaty was commemorated in stone to remember what was promised. The army left for France to fight for France in what was called "The Flight of the Wild Geese." With the military gone, the British quickly reneged on the treaty.


Now, King John's Castle is not an active military site, but it is an archaeological site. The public can walk around in the basements and all the way up the towers to see sweeping views of the city.

After we toured the castle, we went to got grub in the most amazing place. I mean seriously, Focus Foxies, the best food in Ireland. We went to the gastropub, Locke's. We loved it. I had bangers and mash in red wine gravy. The food was so good we went back for dinner. At dinner we had local musicians play for us. Before we left we joined in an encore of 'Wagon Wheel'. It felt right at home.