Saturday

We navigate our way out of Dublin following the taxi driver’s instructions, ‘Keep the Liffey on your right’ and a small scale map. Hop on the N7 toward Limerick and a visit to the Saturday Milk Market to pick up grub for Saturday dinner.

The Google Maps’ directions into central Limerick are … well … useless. Totally confused we put into effect the technique we used in Dublin to find the Clarion Hotel – follow our noses and feel out the lay of the land. Ellen says, ‘I saw picture of the Milk Market online and you can see King John’s Castle behind it.’

Limerick City, for all its fabled history, is about the size of New London. Its streets, however, are laid out by a worm and with auto traffic are now often one-way. We wend and wind and re-trace our routes and eventually, there it is.

This experience would prove useful a week later when we went back into Limerick to find another shop. Another two or three trips and it might all make sense.

From Limerick (it took another lap of downtown to find the Way Out) and back onto the M7, then N21 to Adare and Newcastle West and down R522 toward Broadford and Springfield Castle (nr. Dromcollogher.)

Y’re going to hear a lot about Springfield Castle. Suffice to say it is delightful, and full details are on their very good website, www.springfieldcastle.com.

It is pretty as a picture, set in a bucolic organic farm on 200+ acres. The buildings surround a charming, functional courtyard that became our gathering place morning, noon and night. Betty and Jonathon Sykes are gracious hosts with minimal presence for our party of 21 which took up the whole property. When the website says, ‘Let our home be your castle’ they’re spot-on. It was just that for our week there and we’re grateful for the opportunity.

Most of the family was already there. Jeff, Liz, Paulina and Abigail had met up with Allen, Cora and Desmond at Shannon airport and done some touring. Ellen cooked dinner (Adare Farm lamb chops), Rick made potato salad (better described as ‘mashed potato salad’ since the Irish potatoes I bought didn’t hold up well to boiling) and we all gathered in the main castle dining room.