Kilmallock is a small rural town in County Limerick bordering County Cork where my grandmother was born. Her father was an itinerant farm labourer. Though life must have been very tough, my grandmother loved this part of Ireland. After briefly exploring the town we did a short trek in the countryside admiring the beautiful scenery.

The plaque by King John’s Castle reads “Although named after King John who died in 1216, this four-storeyed tower was not built until the 15th or 16th century. It is an example of a tower-house or late medieval fortified residence. There were most probably several of these towers in Kilmallock originally but only this one survives. It is likely that it was the property of a wealthy merchant of the town. It straddles one of the original medieval streets and access to the centre of the town was made through the archway. The windows with mullions are original, but the pointed windows which are such a striking feature were inserted into it in the late 18th century. In 1645 the Catholic Irish forces under Lord Castlehaven used the tower as an arsenal and less than a decade later Cromwell’s parliamentary forces used it as a hospital and depot.”

The 13th century Dominican Friary

The photo taken on the Ballyhoura Trail (right) shows 18th century Castleoliver Demesne built in the Scottish Baronial style. It was the birthplace of the adventuress Lola Montez (1818-1861) the love of Ludwig I of Bavaria whose grandson, Ludwig II, built those follies in Bavaria that we visited in 2018! Small world.