Adare is easy to explore on foot in the village centre: most attractions are on Main Street and relatively close together. Adare lies on the River Maigue, a tributary of the Shannon. Its building history is reflected in several distinctive historic buildings.
Historic Sites in the Village
Desmond Castle was built alongside an old ringfort in the early 13th century. The Adare Heritage Centre houses Adare’s historical exhibition. Access to Desmond Castle is exclusively by guided tour departing from the Adare Heritage Centre. Check the current arrangements before your visit. The exhibition and castle grounds highlight different aspects of history: the former focuses on the history of Adare, while the latter centres on a specific building. The Trinitarian Abbey in Adare was founded in 1230 by Geoffrey de Marisco as the order’s only house in Ireland. The Augustinian monastery was founded in 1315 by the Earl of Kildare. The Augustinian Abbey includes well-preserved cloisters and a church that has been used by the Church of Ireland since 1807. The present-day Holy Trinity Abbey Church is in the centre of Adare. The buildings can also be compared chronologically: two foundations date to the 13th and early 14th centuries, while the Church of Ireland’s use of the Augustinian church since 1807 marks a later chapter.
Walking and Art
The Adare Village & Riverbank Walk is a two-kilometre walk past the historic buildings of Adare Village. This route gives your walk a clear framework, while Main Street remains the main point of reference for most attractions. If you would rather focus on buildings than on a particular walking route, you can make the closely grouped sites along Main Street your own focus. The DraĂocht Art Gallery offers a different cultural perspective. It houses a range of artworks, photographs, sculptural bronzes and ceramics exhibitions. The local cultural mix thus spans sacred and medieval architecture as well as visual and object-based art.
Regional Perspectives in the Limerick Destination
In the Limerick destination, the Limerick Greenway offers a different scale of route: it is 40 kilometres long, traffic-free and designed for walking and cycling. The route connects the landscapes of West Limerick with Rathkeale, Ardagh, Newcastle West, Templeglantine and Abbeyfeale, and can be accessed at several points. Structures along the Greenway include the 115-metre-long Barnagh Tunnel and Ferguson’s Viaduct, a cast-iron viaduct. Compared with the two-kilometre walk in Adare, this is a significantly longer route that also offers the option of cycling. Another Limerick highlight is Lough Gur, which is internationally significant for its rich archaeology and environment. At Lough Gur Lakeshore Park, visitors can take guided or self-guided tours of the exhibition, as well as tailored guided tours of the archaeological monuments. Tour arrangements may change; check the current options before travelling. The regional landscape also includes Curraghchase Forest Park, with more than 300 hectares of rolling parkland, mixed woodland and lakes.
Discover more destinations: Croagh, Bruff, Askeaton, Limerick, Abbeyfeale, Castleconnell, Pallasgreen, Templeglantine.
Return to the main travel overview: Limerick.
