Sorry for my hiatus - I swear I'm trying to post more often! Happily it's because I had American visitors in Nenagh for two nights and on Sunday, of course, we celebrated July 4th - American Independence Day as we always do here in Ireland....so back to blogging.
A few weekends ago, we headed to Adare for a little day trip. Just outside Limerick, Adare is a jewel of a town with the stereotypical thatched cottages - cafes and shops all in an idyllic setting. There is the Adare Heritage Centre right in the heart of the town - with free parking behind it and a great place to start your day. It houses a few shops along with its own cafe and for those of you visiting outside the area or the country - a nice selection of crafts, gifts, postcards etc.
Outside a thatched cottage which houses the shop of Lucy Erridge -Home of Irish Crafts, Fashion & Art - I was struck by the plethora of poppies growing in the garden. They were big and bold and I was impressed with their size and prolific expansion throughout the garden. When I ventured inside the shop for a good look around - to my delight I found that Lucy sold the seeds for the poppies. Her 16 year old son "harvests" them and sells them at €2 per packet. I bought a packet of the red and the purple.
Lucy warned me that these spread like wildfire throughout a garden and aggressively self-seed but as my garden is still a work in progress....I'm happy to give them a try - I can always aggressively pull them out!
We had lunch at The Blue Door sitting outside in the Irish sunshine. Our table looked right out onto the church.
Picnic benches were set up in the front garden enclosed by a wall. They had been covered in a fun patchwork oil cloth to make them easy to dry off after a shower. I chose a simple tomato soup which has been drizzled in pesto - a few slices of brown bread and it was the perfect meal.
A lovely display of wall flowers.
I can't wait to see these poppies flourish in my garden next year.
We had a very simple day out in Adare and I really focused on taking a few shots of the main street and the gardens. But do check out the Adare Heritage Centre website for more - you can take a tour of Desmond Castle or walk throughout the town - there's a lovely park and just a good stroll on a nice day is a treat. Inside the heritage centre you'll find Black Abbey Crafts, Curran's Heraldry, a historical exhibition, the tourist office and Dovecot Restaurant.
I bet those poppies wil be fabulous!! I've eaten at The Blue Door. Adare is the quintessential Irish village and you were there on a lovely day
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