when we got back to limerick, we were still in the mood for old things. so we headed across the river shannon to st. mary's cathedral.

this beautiful cathedral was originally built as a palace in the 12th century. but like everything else, its function changed over the years. the graveyard was stunning.

the graveyard was full of interesting crosses. most of them were markers for entire families, often three or four generations. the one at the left is dedicated to a bishop and is covered with celtic knotwork and animal designs. below, the one next to me (look ma, i was really there!) was the only one i saw that was covered in shamrocks!

and here's carrie climbing over some poor guys grave just to get the perfect shot...

after that we headed down the river shannon toward king john's castle...

here's a picture of the shannon as the dusk approaches. it is another one of those tidal rivers which is beautiful at high tide and a little grungy the rest of the time. this was one of the beautiful times...

This is king john's castle. king john didn't really live there. apparently he stayed there on his one visit to limerick and thus the castle was renamed. understand?

one of my favorite sights was right after i took the picture of carrie and king john's castle. it had started to drizzle but the sun was trying to peek out among the clouds. i turned to carrie and said the only thing that would make the day better would be a rainbow. and as we turned around, we saw one over the steeple of st mary's. the pictures don't quite capture it. and no, we didn't find the end...

after all that wandering, we headed back to the hostel for a home-cooked meal, the local pub for a nightcap and then our beds for some well-deserved sleep. after all we had the journey back to dublin in the morning....

Limerick in the Morning | Adare | Limerick in The Evening | Sunday in Dublin | Glendalough | Newgrange | Dublin on Tuesday | St. Patrick's Day | Dingle | Home