Limerick is home to more castles and towers than any other county in Ireland

AN EXHIBITION of photographs and other material about Limerick’s medieval castles and tower houses has revealed that the city and county has more of these structures than any other county.

The exhibit in the Limerick Museum, which was curated by historian and researcher Joseph Lennon along with Daiva Stasiukynaite, has now been awarded the European Year of Cultural Heritage label for 2018.

It has been running for several weeks and finished up this Thursday, but Mr Lennon plans to take the exhibition to further venues to showcase his extensive research.

Covering a period of 450 years, the event showcases some evocative and unique photographs of the towers, castles and ruins that form an important aspect of Limerick’s built heritage, from the Normans to Cromwell.

“Limerick Museum is proud and privileged to showcase the results of Joseph’s exhaustive research,” said Dr Matthew Potter, Curator of the museum.

“The exhibition was a great success, and the photographs and sketches were of structures in the whole of Limerick, so it had a very broad appeal. These exceptional photographs show an important part of Limerick’s built heritage, but also give a better picture of our shared past – a past that we need to preserve and to cherish,” he added.

Joseph Lennon, who holds an MA in History from University of Limerick, said that there are approximately 100 of these structures still standing, in varying states of repair, in Limerick.

He travelled the length and breadth of the county to document each one. His decade-long fieldwork has seen him visit hundreds of townlands to compile a photographic survey.

Joseph has also recently completed a forthcoming comprehensive book on the history of Limerick's castles.

Generally, castles were built in the 12th-early 14th centuries, while tower houses popped up in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Castles were usually larger and designed to house the lord and his retinue of staff and soldiers, while tower houses were essentially the family homes of well-off people.

Mayor of Limerick City and County Council, Cllr Stephen Keary, said that the body of work “showcases for the first time a collation of images of an entire county’s remaining castles and tower houses in one room.”

“No mean feat when one considers that Limerick had the most castles/tower/fortified houses on the whole island of Ireland: approximately 400 at one time according to one notes Limerick historian, T.J. Westropp. Therefore, we have a very proud history and unique story to tell – and indeed to sell well beyond the borders of Limerick,” added the mayor.