King John's Castle (Caisleán Luimnigh)

A 13th-century Norman castle on the banks of the Shannon in Limerick city.

Built around 1200 on King's Island, King John's Castle is one of the best-preserved Norman fortresses in Ireland, its curtain walls and round towers guarding a crossing of the Shannon. Excavations beneath it reveal Viking-age and siege history.

At a glance

• Norman castle, built c. 1200
• On King's Island in the Shannon
• One of Ireland's finest Norman fortresses

In County Limerick

King John's Castle is in County Limerick, Luimneach in Irish, which means “bare spot”.

More in Limerick

• Lough Gur (Loch Gair): A horseshoe lake in County Limerick surrounded by one of Ireland's richest ancient landscapes.
• Adare (Áth Dara): Often called Ireland's prettiest village, lined with thatched cottages.

Other places of this kind

• The Cliffs of Moher (Aillte an Mhothair): Sea cliffs located at the southwestern edge of the Burren region.
• Newgrange (Sí an Bhrú): A prehistoric monument in County Meath, older than Stonehenge and the Pyramids.
• The Giant's Causeway (Clochán an Aifir): Around 40,000 interlocking basalt columns on the Antrim coast, a UNESCO site wrapped in the legend of Finn McCool.
• Glendalough (Gleann Dá Loch): A beautiful glacial valley of two lakes, home to one of Ireland's most important early monastic settlements.
• The Rock of Cashel (Carraig Phádraig): A dramatic outcrop crowned with medieval buildings, once the seat of the kings of Munster.
• Clonmacnoise (Cluain Mhic Nóis): A great early monastery on the banks of the Shannon, once a renowned centre of learning.

The Irish name

The Irish form of King John's Castle is Caisleán Luimnigh. You can hear it spoken, and take apart names like it, in the Placename Explorer. The authoritative record for any Irish place-name is logainm.ie.