Limerick City: King John's Castle

There once was a king named John

Who certainly was no Genghis Khan

His powers were resigned

When the Magna Carta was signed

And now he’s less of a king than a pawn

There you go, a crappy historical limerick for you!  But it relates directly to the highlight of my first trip into the city of Limerick: King John’s Castle.

King John’s Castle was built in 1197 and named after the Lord of Ireland at the time, Prince John, who was the youngest brother of the reigning English king, Richard I (or Richard the Lionheart).  When Richard died without an heir in 1199, John became King of England, which possibly changed the name from Lord John’s Castle to King John’s Castle.

Now, if you ask any fairly-historically minded Englishman, they will all tell you that John was a bloody awful king.  He lost a lot of land to the French (including Normandy, where his family actually originated), he was forced to sign the Magna Carta, which gave away many of his powers to the aristocracy (barons, dukes, lords, things like that) so they could more easily repress the peasants, he increased taxation as a result of his losing land and power to his foes, and he got himself excommunicated by the pope!  If that wasn’t enough, you know the story of Robin Hood?  Yeah, this is that King John.  No wonder why he looks so gloomy:

Anyway, at least the castle that was named after him is pretty cool!  You can freely wander around the courtyard of the castle, and navigate your way to the top of the castle walls.  Check out some pictures:

That last one is the view of the Shannon (and the hills of County Clare) from the castle’s main turret.  Almost makes you want to live in a late-twelfth century castle in the middle of Ireland’s fourth largest city, doesn’t it?  Maybe that’s just me.

On the way back from King John’s Castle, I checked out something that’s even older (and is actually the oldest building still in use in all of Limerick): St. Mary’s Cathedral:

I couldn’t check out the inside because there was a wedding going on in there (the parking lot was packed with cars).  But still looks sweet from the outside, doesn’t it?  It was built in 1168 as a Catholic church, and then (like all major old cathedrals in Ireland) was turned Protestant by the English in the sixteenth century.  As a side note, whenever I tell an Irish student that I’m interested in Irish history, they always say, “Let me sum it up for you.  The English invaded.  Eventually we kicked them out.  Repeat.”  The English sure left their mark every time they came over, that’s for sure.

Thanks to all of those who voted on the poll.  It’s seems like most of you are pretty jealous that I made it to Ireland.  I’m not going to lie, I kind of like that feeling.  Anyway, a new poll is up, so check it out!  I am also providing links to more pictures on the side, so check that out too!  I know, it’s a lot of checking, but you’ll live.  Next, I'll be travelling westward into County Kerry (arguably the most beautiful part of Ireland...mostly argued by people from Kerry), so (once again) make sure to check in later as well!