| Adare Áth Dara |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Munster | |
| County: | County Limerick | |
| Dáil Éireann: | Limerick West | |
| Dialling code: | 061-39**** | |
| Population (2006) - Town: - Environs: |
2,012 580 |
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Adare (Irish: Áth Dara, meaning "the ford of the oak")[1] (Population 2,592 (CSO, 2006)[2]) is a village in County Limerick, Ireland.
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Historically, Adare was a crossing point on the river Maigue.
Renowned as one of Ireland's prettiest villages,[3] Adare is designated as a Heritage Town by the Irish government.
Adare is located 16 km (10 mi) from Limerick City.
Adare is a major tourist destination, with many tours of Ireland's south-west stopping off in the village. The local heritage centre, which gives a deep insight into the history of the village, also hosts a number of craft shops. Adare is also a popular wedding and conference venue. Adare is becoming a major golf destination with two 18-hole courses - the Adare Golf Club, which incorporates a driving range and which was the site of the 2007 and 2008 Irish Open, the Adare Manor Golf Club and a Pitch and Putt course. Adare has one equestrian centre: Clonshire. Adare is home to a number of world-renowned stables.
The village offers three Hotels: The Adare Manor, The Dunraven Arms and Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel
Adare has six public houses. In the village: Bill Chawke's, Collins', Seán Collins' and Auntie Lena's. In the outlying areas are The Thatch and Neville's. Additionally, each of the three hotels and the two golf courses has bars/restaurants. Many of the pubs also serve food.
There are eight restaurants: The Wild Geese, The Inn Between, The Abbots Rest, The Arches Restaurant, The Blue Door Cottage Pantry, The Golden Dragon, The Pink Potato and Bia.
The main street combines quintessential Irish architecture with the English styled buildings and infrastructure purpose-built for the Dunraven estate. Examples of the latter architectural forms include the thatched cottages near the entrance to Adare Manor
St. Joseph's National School (boys), Our Lady's Abbey NS (http://www.ourladysabbey.com) (girls), St. Nicholas' primary school (Church of Ireland) (mixed) and Scoil Seán tSraide (mixed).
The main Limerick-Tralee road, the N21 goes through the village. The Adare Bypass is at an early planning stage with construction unlikely to begin before 2011. Adare is a stop on the hourly Limerick-Tralee/Killarney bus service. A railway line to Foynes passes through the town,[4] but Adare railway station, which opened on 12 July 1856, was closed to passengers on 4 February 1963 and mothballed on 2 December 1974.[5]
The ancient town lay upon the eastern bank of the Maigue near a ford (crossing point) in the region known as Ardshanbally (derived from ard sean bhaile, 'high old town'), about half-a mile from the modern town on the western side. Historically a market town, in the Middle Ages Adare was a major settlement and boasted three monasteries and a castle.
The Augustinian Priory was founded in 1316 by John FitzThomas FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare. The Priory was suppressed in the reign of Henry VIII. In 1807, the church of the Priory was given to the local Church of Ireland congregation as the parish church. In 1814 the refectory was roofed and converted into a schoolhouse. Between 1852 and 1854 a second restoration of the church was undertaken by Caroline, Countess of Dunraven.
The Franciscan friary was founded in 1464 by Thomas Fitz-Maurice, 7th Earl of Kildare and his wife Joan, and completed two years later. It is currently a ruin and is located inside the Adare Manor Golf Club. Every Easter Sunday a dawn mass is celebrated in the Abbey.
The Trinitarian Order established their only monastery in Ireland in Adare in 1230. The Abbey was restored in 1811 by the first Earl of Dunraven as the Catholic Parish church.
Said to have been built originally by the O'Donovans, and afterwards to have passed into the possession of the Kildare branch of the FitzGeralds. Desmond castle, as it is popularly known stands on the north bank of the Maigue. An extensive renovation is being carried out on the castle since 1996 and supervised tours are offered in the summer months.
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Adare is a village in the Mid-West of Ireland.
Adare is 15 km south-west of Limerick city on the principal Kerry-Limerick road (N21). It can be easily accessed by bus or taxi from Limerick, although a car would be an advantage.
The Bus Éireann bus stop for Limerick city and onwards is outside the Heritage Center. For Kerry and the south the bus stops outside the Post Office.
As a village, Adare is best explored on foot.
Generally free on-street parking can be found. There is a free public car park (which is monitored by CCTV) behind the Heritage Center on Station Road.
The best place to start viewing Adare is from the Adare Heritage Center. The principal sights include:
Adare has two golf courses, the Adare Manor Golf Club and Adare Golf Club. The Adare Golf Club, home to the 2007 Irish Open, also boasts a driving range.
Clonshire equestrian center is a must for show-jumping enthusiasts.
There is a medium-sized park in the center of the village for walks and some R&R.
The library is located next to the Heritage Center (across from the Village Hall).
Knockpatrick Gardens, an award winning 3 acre garden overlooking the scenic Shannon Estuary is located 2 Kms from Foynes on the N69 from Limerick.
There is a 24hr ATM outside the AIB bank next to the roundabout in the center of the village.
There is a number of craft shops throughout the village. These are primarily focused on tourists.
Some restaurants shut for the winter and reopen around St. Patrick's day. Particuarly during the summer period it is wise to make reservations for dinner. The main restaurants include:
Bar food is widely served and there is a fast food restaurant known as The Pink Potato and Pizza Blue.
Adare has four pubs:
Café:
All three hotels have bars.
Most Restaurants have a licence.
Both Golf clubs have a bar and restaurant.
Hotels:
There are also numerous B&Bs and guesthouses.
The Post office is located in a pink building on the main street next to Collins' Bar (across from the Village Hall).
The Garda (Police) station is located in a yellow building across the street from the Post Office.
Adare is a good location for onward touring around the southwest of Ireland as Tralee and Killarney are about 1hr 30 min away by car. Adare is a nice location to cycle around and from as the local roads are generally quiet.
Adare is close-by to Limerick City, Shannon and Bunratty.
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Category: Outline articles
   | Adare Heritage Centre - Adare Heritage Center, County Limerick, Ireland |
| | General Information on Adare - Adare village information, County Limerick, Ireland |
| | Adare - Adare travel guide - Wikitravel |
| | Our Lady's Abbey NS (girls) - Our Lady's Abbey, Adare, County Limerick |
| | Adare Tourism - Adare Attractions - Ireland - An Ireland Attraction |
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