Limerick Tours

About Limerick

Limerick is Ireland's third city and the gateway to the midwest, sitting at the lowest crossing point of the River Shannon. The medieval core of the city clusters around King's Island, where King John's Castle — a 13th-century Anglo-Norman fortress built between 1200 and 1210 — dominates the riverside skyline. The castle's immersive exhibitions, excavated Viking-era foundations, and panoramic views from its towers make it the city's centrepiece attraction, open seven days a week year-round. Across Thomond Bridge from the castle, the Treaty Stone marks where the 1691 Treaty of Limerick was signed, ending the Williamite-Jacobite War and giving Limerick its enduring nickname: the Treaty City. St Mary's Cathedral, founded in 1168, is the oldest in-situ building in the city. The Hunt Museum, housed in the 18th-century Custom House on Rutland Street, holds one of Ireland's most important private collections of art and antiquity. Twenty minutes south of the city, the village of Adare is regularly cited as Ireland's prettiest village. Its neat rows of 19th-century thatched cottages, medieval priories (Augustinian, Franciscan, and Trinitarian), and the Gothic Revival Adare Manor — now a luxury hotel and golf resort — make it a natural stop on any Limerick itinerary. Lough Gur, 30 minutes southeast of the city, is one of Ireland's most important archaeological landscapes. The horseshoe-shaped lake is ringed by monuments spanning 6,000 years of continuous human settlement, including the Grange Stone Circle — roughly 45 metres in diameter, the largest stone circle in Ireland — crannógs, ring forts, and the remains of Stone Age dwellings. The heritage centre interprets the site with an audio-guided lakeside trail. The Limerick Greenway — a 39-kilometre off-road cycling and walking trail along a former railway line — connects Rathkeale, Newcastle West, and Abbeyfeale through gentle countryside. Bike hire is available at multiple points along the route.