King John's Castle, Limerick, Ireland

 King John's Castle stood tall for over 800 years on the River Shannon in Limerick, Ireland.  This was very much a worthwhile castle to visit.  'This castle has witnessed events that have helped to shape modern-day Ireland.'

The castle's building began in 1212 BC and took decades to complete.  It has a very colourful history and at one time the ruling King was King Henry VIII who claimed himself King of Ireland.

The castle was under siege 3 different times in the 1600s and during one of the sieges they tunneled under the walls hoping to collapse them.  The museum leads you through the archeological digs of the attempts to tunnel under the castle, which is highly interesting.

There is a museum that you go through at your own pace before you enter the castle.  If you wish, there is a lot to read and see and little vignettes of depictions of people from long ago who worked at the castle.  At the end of the museum, there is a short video of the overall history of the castle. 

The bridge over River Shannon leads to King John's Castle.  I took this shot because there were little tiny daisies growing in the stones.

It was fun to explore and I highly recommend visiting King John's Castle.

The Treaty Stone is on this pedestal with the Castle across the River Shannon to the left.  This stone was signed and ended the Williamite and Jacobite War.

Limerick painted concrete pylons.

The jade-green hills of Ireland are ever-present in Ireland.

The door to St. Mary's Cathedral in Limerick.  This beautiful old church is almost 900 years old.  It had amazing stained glass windows to look at from the entrance to the church.  They were just closing as we arrived, so I did not get any pics, unfortunately.

There are many beautiful old buildings that surround the Castle.