Republic of Ireland, Adare

Adare is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Name Adare is derived from Áth Dara, meaning 'the ford of the oak' and was historically a crossing point on the river Maigue.

Renowned as one of Ireland's prettiest villages, Adare is designated as a Heritage Town by the Irish government.

Adare is located 16 km (10 mi) from Limerick City.

History

Adare is derived from Áth Dara, 'the ford of the oak'. The town was first settled near a ford (crossing point) on the river Mague in the region known as Ardshanbally (derived from ard sean bhaile, 'high old town'), near where the Desmond castle stands today. Historically a market town, in the middle ages Adare was a major settlement and boasted three monasteries and a castle.

Economy

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 is set to be the site of the 2007 Irish Open, the Adare Manor Golf Club and a Pitch and Putt course.

Accommodation, Food, Drink and Entertainment
The village offers three Hotels: The Adare Manor, The Dunraven Arms and Fitzgerald's Woodlands House Hotel.

Adare has six public houses. In the village: Bill Chawke's, Collins', Seán Collins' and Lena's. In the outlying areas are The Thatch and Neville's. Additionally each of the three hotels and the two golf courses have bars/restaurants. Many of the pubs and bars serve food.

There is seven restaurants: The Wild Geese, The Inn Between, The Abbots Rest, The Aches Restaurant, The Blue Door Cottage Pantry, The Golden Dragon and The Pink Potato.

Sport

Gaelic games, especially hurling is popular through Adare GAA. The hurling team finally won its first county hurling championship in 2001 and successfully defended their title in 2002, only to be denied a 3 in a row in 2003, after narrowly losing the county final to great rivals and neighbours Patrickswell.

Golf is also popular in Adare. There are two 18 hole golf courses in the village.

Transport

The main Limerick-Tralee road, the N21 goes through the village. The Adare Bypass is at an advanced planning stage with construction planned to begin in 2008. Adare is a stop on the hourly Limerick-Tralee/Killarney bus service. A railway line to Foynes passes through the town, but has been closed for decades. The station opened on 12 July 1856, was closed to passengers on 4 February 1963, but finally closed on 2 December 1974. Construction is anticipated to begin on the N21 Adare Bypass in 2008.