Earlier today we picked up our rental Royal Enfield side car motorcycle and hubby and I will spend the next week or so, touring the western coast of Ireland. I shall leave the technical talk to hubby, but suffice to say, we are both looking forward to where the road will take us.
First stop is Adare, a town that boasts being one of Ireland's friendliest and prettiest towns, it gets it's name from the Irish Ath Dara which translates to the ford of the oak. It sits along the River Maigue, and the castle ruins date back to the 13th century when the Normans invaded the area.
While maybe not on everyone's must see list, Adare has served as a perfect start point for our adventure. The rental company, Retroventures, has its' home office nearby and today they celebrated the grand opening of their motorcycle shop where they will sell motorcycles (specializing in the Royal Enfield brand) and accessories.
With a quick test ride to Limerick (and to get ourselves situated with Irish SIM cards, as this is a working trip for hubby), we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the small village. We took a brief tour of the Desmond Castle.
This castle, with its Norman origins, is considered one of the best preserved ruins, and our guide Vera, shared a wealth of knowledge of the castle and the efforts to restore it. What a contrast to last summer's tours, today it was a group of just 4 plus the guide.
The town is also known for the Adare Manor, when in the 1820s, the Earl of Dunraven took it upon himself to design the village. Said village includes thatched cottages and a manor house. Unfortunately, the manor house is undergoing a multi million dollar renovation and is closed to
visitors. Oh well, just another reason to consider a return trip?
Meet Ellie, the B&B owner's adorable dog...keeping me company while I blog!
Looks like hubby has awoken from his snooze, and we shall take a stroll into town, in search of a pint, or two...until next time!
First stop is Adare, a town that boasts being one of Ireland's friendliest and prettiest towns, it gets it's name from the Irish Ath Dara which translates to the ford of the oak. It sits along the River Maigue, and the castle ruins date back to the 13th century when the Normans invaded the area.
While maybe not on everyone's must see list, Adare has served as a perfect start point for our adventure. The rental company, Retroventures, has its' home office nearby and today they celebrated the grand opening of their motorcycle shop where they will sell motorcycles (specializing in the Royal Enfield brand) and accessories.
With a quick test ride to Limerick (and to get ourselves situated with Irish SIM cards, as this is a working trip for hubby), we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the small village. We took a brief tour of the Desmond Castle.
The town is also known for the Adare Manor, when in the 1820s, the Earl of Dunraven took it upon himself to design the village. Said village includes thatched cottages and a manor house. Unfortunately, the manor house is undergoing a multi million dollar renovation and is closed to
visitors. Oh well, just another reason to consider a return trip?
Looks like hubby has awoken from his snooze, and we shall take a stroll into town, in search of a pint, or two...until next time!
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