Thursday 17 March 2016

A Trip Down the Road



We took a trip to the famous Lough Gur in County Limerick which has been inhabited for the last six thousand years. I looked at the map and it seemed to be an easy route by taking the M7 down towards Limerick City and to take a left onto the N24 and then a right onto a smaller road. What I had not realised was that there were other smaller roads that were not on my map and so we had to make a few enquiries along the way.  Our main complaint is that it is not very well sign posted and we did ponder on whether they actually want visitors judging by the lack of signs.

For Lady H it was her first time of driving for any distance on a Motorway and it did not please her, she gave me the very same dislikes as I had myself, that they are boring and mesmerising after awhile . Which is why I only used them when it was very necessary.


Nearby locations

Lough Gur locality

The tranquil lake where motorised boats and fishing on the lake are not permitted.

One of the remaining crannogs on lough Gur.
A crannog is a man made island created by the neolithic people as means
of making a safe haven

You might recognise these two from earlier blog posts?
They are taking their ease in front two buildings reconstructed in what is believed to be
a neolithic style -minus the glass windows of course.

Popping out of the trees on left side of photo is Bourchier’s Castle built in 1588 by Sir George Bourchier, the son of the second Earl of Bath.


We had a very pleasant day out and our Toby slept all of the way home.

For more information about Lough Gur please visit

26 comments:

  1. Love the word 'crannog' it has a real ancient sound to it, as does the sight of those two sitting by the stone building. Like the idea of an island being man made as a safe haven.

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  2. Do envy you, always wanted to see Lough Gur and it's stone circle.

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    1. There are three stone circles, one is on sloping ground near to the huts at Lough Gur and the other two are at Grange a couple of miles away. The largest of the two is said to be the biggest in Ireland.
      Thank you for your comments Thelma.

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  3. The best places are never on the signs! I've visited the 'crannog' at Llangorse Lake near Brecon, and there seems to have been something similar discovered beneath the peat at Flag Fen, near Peterborough. It seems to have been a widespread practice, though there's a great deal that's not understood.

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    1. Yes, there are many places where there are or were crannogs, such as the Lake Village on the outskirts of Glastonbury.
      Thank you for your comments John.

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  4. Hi Mel - Motorways are a nuisance - but they make getting from A-B easier and then more time to relax .. as you did here at Lough Gur. What a fascinating place - and I love that they've got a museum set up and lots of interested and knowledgeable people contributing to the site and its surrounds.

    Fascinating history - we are still discovering so much ... as to the whys and wherefores ... finding our archaeological history to enlighten our today (somewhat).

    So glad you had a happy day out and Toby enjoyed himself too .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Thank you Hilary. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves even when asking for directions because people told us so much more than what we actually asked them :)

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  5. We're not far from there H. We used to take our younger two boys there when they were small for a picnic. We had trouble finding it the first time too. :-)

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    1. Deb had we have known we could have called into see you and had a cuppa :)
      It was my third or fourth time there, not though for many years and then I used to approach LG from Bruff which is a lot easier.
      Thank you for the comment and invitation ?

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    2. The kettle's boiling as I type, H! :-)

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    3. Deb, you are a terrible tease ! :)

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  6. A nice day for a little journey!
    And what a lovely photo of you two.

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    1. Thanks Carol, not sure about it being a little journey it was three hours away.

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    2. :) In the US that is a little journey!

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    3. Aye and in Australia it would be even less however, as our roads are in such a poor state it is a long journey because the potholes are so numerous.

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  7. What a delightful spot - thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Susan we had a very pleasant day out.

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  8. The history is absolutely amazing. Thanks for the intro, the tour, although not for the chill I feel in my bones just looking at the photos.

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    1. Agreed, it was a dry cloudy March day and the lake's water made no invitations for bathers to immerse themselves.
      Thanks for your appreciation Mitchell.

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  9. You certainly live in a beautiful country. I love the photos you share.

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    1. Thank you Jennifer it is wonderful and green because off all the rain :)

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  10. I have just received a very entertaining email
    "Dear Mel
    I wasn’t aware the fishing was not permitted on Lough Gur so I will have to check this out and get back to you on it ,
    Thanks for your email and bringing it to our attention
    Regards
    Lorraine

    Lorraine O Donnell
    Fisheries Inspector
    Inland Fisheries Ireland - Limerick
    --------------------------------------------
    Iascach Intíre Éireann
    Inland Fisheries Ireland "

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  11. I suspect that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing ?

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  12. So beautiful, I could quite happily live in the round house. I too will avoid driving on a motorway, especially the M25. I will drive miles out of the way just to avoid it. The speed of the other cars and the lorries frighten the life out of me. Mind you, I don't like driving in general, only when I gave to x

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    1. A round house would be very womb like wouldn't it and totally natural.

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