The bus drove for about an hour and a half through the boonies and narrow highways until we reached Limerick. On the way there, we looked through my trusty Ireland guide that I had gotten as a gift for Christmas, surprise to discover that the book didn't even suggest Limerick as a must-see destination. Trying not to be too skeptical, we hopped off the bus and headed for the nearest internet cafe so we could find somewhere to stay for the night. We had anticipated our first hostel experience, but it turns out that Limerick doesn't have hostels...another unnerving surprise. So we went to the Best Western Pery, where we paid just over twenty euros each for the night. We were most ecstatic about the unlimited hot water we now had at our disposal, it would be our first opportunity to take more than a five minute shower in almost a month. While checking us in, the kind receptionist had given us a map and many brochures, outlining places to sightsee, dine, and, of course, have a pint. We looked over all the information she'd given us and decided we should just head out into the city for some lunch and a trip to the tourist office. We stopped at a little cafe where we had paninis and chatted with a woman who was having lunch with her two daughters. The tots, like most young children that I've seen in Ireland, were dressed FIERCE, with tights and trendy boots and cute peacoats. Their mom asked us what brought us to Limerick, and when we replied that we wanted an adventure, she laughed and told us to watch our bags and stick together. After finishing up and eating some candies with the little girls, we left, skeptical and curious about this big, bad city we had wandered into. The first thing I noticed about the city was that it was very industrial, with large buildings that are uncommon around Galway. There were also a lot of closed businesses lining the street, a consequence of the economic crisis that Ireland is currently facing. A further consequence was the number of homeless people sitting on sidewalks asking for spare change. While I have seen homeless people asking for money before, it was not something I had expected to see while in Limerick because, from what I have seen, there are little to no homeless people inhabiting the streets of Galway. When we reached the tourist office, the man working there was really kind and full of suggestions. He took out a map and marked off places that he thought we would like, as well as giving us a bunch of background information on what the city had to offer. I was particularly excited about seeing the different locations mentioned in the memoir Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt, one of my absolute most favorite pieces of literature.
Since it was still relatively early, we decided to take the afternoon to go to the village of Bunratty, where there is a folk park and old castle that remains in tact. Bunratty is located about 25 minutes outside of Limerick by bus, we actually crossed counties, from Co. Limerick to Co. Claire. We used Bus Eirann, which is a low-cost bus service that travels throughout Ireland, to get there. The folk park is kind of similar to Old Sturbridge, with all sorts of traditional homes, businesses, and animal life set up like a little town. The castle itself was definitely the best part of the folk park, we were able to go in and climb the narrow spiral staircases to all sorts of rooms, including the dungeon and rooftop. The castle had many original furnishings and decorations, all of which were very beautiful; it was crazy to think that I was sitting at a 900 year old table that had been used by nobility throughout important periods of Irish history. During the Spring and Summer, the castle plays host to medieval banquets in which you can attend a traditional dinner and dance showcase in the great room of the castle. Maybe I'll just have to go back...
Opening the castle door
Bunratty Castle
The dungeon...good thing I behaved myself
The beautiful view from the top of the castle
On the rooftop
A traditional 19th century Irish home
Doorways made for people my height
Kitchen stove and fireplace
This looks familiar, huh, Mom?
Shetland ponies
After exploring Bunratty for a few hours, we decided to catch the bus back to Limerick. Unfortunately, despite our sprinting efforts, we missed the bus and had to wait an hour for the next one. With nothing better to do, we sat at the bus stop and waited in the freezing cold until the bus finally came. When we got back to the hotel, we decided to try a local restaurant called The Wild Onion for dinner. We never got to try it though - we walked around and around until we ended up in a sketchy area and decided to head back to the main street to find somewhere else. Surprisingly, there weren't many places open, even on a Saturday night, so we resorted to Eddie Rockets (the Irish Johnny Rockets) for a couple burgers and fries. The food was overpriced and the service was pretty bad, but we didn't expect too much. After dinner, we walked to Nancy's, a pub that the hotel receptionist had recommended. The pub itself was really cool, it had a retractable roof that was kept open so we could see the sky, but there were also various heaters keeping the outdoor space bearable. Although it was supposedly the place to be, Nancy's never really got crowded so after a pint, my roommates and I decided to head back to the hotel and take advantage of its amenities. We relaxed in the sauna and took really long showers before passing out after a long day with hopes that Sunday would show us what Limerick really had to offer.
...Not much, apparently. After going to Sunday mass, we walked around the city, following the map that the tourism office guy had given us. The majority of the places were closed on Sundays or under construction or permanently shut down. We went through King's Island, where Limerick City was originally located. On King's Island was Saint Mary's Cathedral and King John's Castle, both of which were architecturally impressive and historically significant.We also walked on the boardwalk that coasts the River Shannon that flows through the city. The trip down the boardwalk led us to the former slums, where Angela's Ashes is set. Today, the slums are no longer there; it is mostly modern apartment buildings, hotels, and businesses. I went to the street Frank McCourt grew up on, as well as to his grammar school and the pub where his father would drink away the family's welfare money.
St. Mary's Cathedral
The street Frank McCourt grew up on
The pub from Angela's Ashes
Along the River Shannon
The most memorable sight, however, from our time spent on King's Island was the child, around seven or eight I'd say, who was sitting in the backseat of an adult's car at a stop sign, smoking a cigarette. When I saw that, I had to look twice because I was absolutely flabbergasted. Although it was probably a twenty second affair, in that time I was disgusted, enraged, and saddened all at once. I wanted to yell at the grown woman in the driver's seat who was allowing that to happen, as well as cry because seeing a young child doing something like that is one of the most shocking things I have ever witnessed. At home, we are educated from a very young age about the consequences of smoking and encouraged to abstain from doing so by parents, teachers, and other people of influence. In Limerick, it was evident from the poverty, the uncleanliness, and the smoking child incident that there is a lack of that education and support that is so crucial. I felt really bad for those people I saw struggling in the city, but it made me realize that Ireland isn't just green fields and stonewalls and pubs and great craic; it struggles socially, economically, politically, religiously, and racially just like the rest of the world. Finally seeing a bit of that struggle after being here for a month, has given me not only more reason to appreciate being exposed to it, but reason to also get involved while I'm here and do something about it.
Love and making it better,
Haley
No comments:
Post a Comment