Adare is a village in the Mid-West of Ireland.

Get in

By car

Adare is 15 km south-west of Limerick city on the principal Kerry-Limerick road (N21). It can be easily accessed by bus or taxi from Limerick, although a car would be an advantage.

By bus

By bus: Bus Éireann No 13 and 14 run from Limerick hourly, daily, taking 20 min. They continue via Rathkeale to Newcastle West, whence the 13 runs every two hours via Listowel to Tralee, while the 14 runs every two hours via Abbeyfeale and Kerry airport to Killarney.

The bus stop eastbound towards Limerick is outside the Heritage Centre, while the westbound buses to Tralee or Killarney stop outside the Post Office.

Get around

As a village, Adare is best explored on foot.

Generally free on-street parking can be found. There is a free public car park (which is monitored by CCTV) behind the Heritage Centre on Station Road.

See

The Trinitarian friary is now the RC church

The best place to start is the 1 Adare Heritage Centre on Main Street, open daily 09:00-18:00. Use the free car & coach park behind. The centre has a small exhibition (free), a restaurant, and inevitably a large gift shop.

• Desmond Castle (Go to Heritage Centre for tickets and shuttle bus, no walk-up access). June-Sept daily 09:00-18:00. 13th C ring-fortress, the stronghold of the Earls of Kildare till 1536 then forfeited and awarded to the Earls of Desmond. Visit by guided tour from the Heritage Centre. Adult €10. (updated Feb 2020)
• The Augustinian friary was the original "black abbey" and is now the attractive St Nicholas Church of Ireland and school. It's well preserved, with a 15th C cloister and sedilia, and a 16th C Pieta. It's usually accessible daytime, on Main Street at the river bridge.
• The Trinitarian friary in town centre was restored in the 19th C and is now Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.
• The Franciscan friary is a ruin on Adare Manor Golf Course. You can stroll around but watch out for golfers.
• Lots of thatched cottages throughout the village, with a scrummage of tourists around them. Alas the impossibly cute Tír na nÓg cottage was wrecked by fire in 2015.
• Adare Manor is now a plush hotel, see "Sleep".

Do

• Golf: Adare has two courses but the names are confusing. The Adare Manor Golf Club is on the grounds of the Manor but not part of the hotel, access is from the main road north of town. The yellow tees are 5533 yards, par 69, and a round costs €35.

What's now called The Golf Course at Adare Manor is part of the hotel resort. The course, re-designed in 2017 by Tom Fazio, is open mid-March to Dec. It's 7509 yards, par 72, and a round costs €400 plus obligatory caddie fee.

There's also a pitch and putt course 500 m south of town.

• 1 Clonshire Equestrian Centre 3 km west of town has training, rides and jumps for the experienced, and horse-riding holidays.

• There is a medium-sized park in the center of the village for walks and some R&R.

Buy

There is a 24hr ATM outside the AIB bank next to the roundabout in the centre of the village.

There is a number of craft shops throughout the village. These are primarily focused on tourists.

Eat

• The Arches, Main St, ☏ +353 61 396 246. Daily 11:00-21:30. Friendly restaurant, good place to bring kids. (updated Aug 2019)
• Blue Door, Main St. Daily 12:00-21:00. Bistro gets consistently great reviews for food and welcome. (updated Aug 2019)
• Houfu, Main St, ☏ +353 61 396 383. M-Sa 16:00-00:00, Su 14:00-23:00. Good Chinese for sit in or takeaway. (updated Aug 2019)
• The Maigue is in Dunraven Arms Hotel, see "Sleep".
• The Wild Geese, Rose Cottage, Main St, ☏ +353 61 396 451. Tu-Sa 11:30-15:00, 18:00-22:00; Su 12:30-15:00. Upscale Irish cuisine in 1820s cottage, reservations recommended. (updated Aug 2019)

Drink

• Bill Chawke's stands at the start of Rathkeale Rd, open Su-Th 10:00-00:30, F Sa 10:00-01:30.
• Chawke's is bracketed by two Collins' bars: Sean Collins south also has accommodation. Pat Collins is just north. They're both open daily from 10:00 to around midnight.
• Aunty Lena's on Main Street does good food and is open Tu-Su 09:00-00:00, M 12:00-00:30.

Sleep

• 1 Adare Camping and Caravan Park, Drehidtrasna, Adare (3 km south of town), ☏ +353 61 395 376. Open April-Sept, well-run site, clean and welcoming. Small tent €22, motor home or caravan €26. (updated Feb 2020)
• Dunraven Arms, Main Street, Blackabbey, Adare, ☏ +353 61 605 900. Mid-price hotel in an old coaching inn. Mostly good reviews, some decor tired and the occasional breakfast malfunction. Free parking, leisure centre. B&B double €100. (updated Feb 2020)
• 2 Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel, Knockanes (1 km east of village), ☏ +353 61 605 100. Spa hotel, scores well for comfort, food and especially for service. B&B double €100. (updated Feb 2020)
• Numerous B&Bs and guesthouses.
• Splurge at 3 Adare Manor Hotel (in parkland east edge of town). Grand hotel & golf resort, mostly 19th C - in 1836 the entire property was valued at a mere £130! Also hosts Adare Golf Club and Limerick Cricket Club. B&B double from €750. (updated Jul 2019)
• 4 Fanningstown Castle, Fanningstown (5 km southeast of village), ☏ +353 61 395 989. Plush hotel in 19th C pseudo-Gothic "castle," five bedrooms, sleeps ten. Popular with wedding parties in summer, you can hire the whole place for three nights from €1200. (updated Feb 2020)

Connect

The Post office is located in a pink building on the main street next to Collins' Bar (across from the Village Hall).

Stay safe

The Garda (Police) station is located in a yellow building across the street from the Post Office.

Go next

Adare is a good location for onward touring around the southwest of Ireland as Tralee and Killarney are about 1hr 30 min away by car. Adare is a nice location to cycle around and from as the local roads are generally quiet.

Adare is near Limerick City, Shannon and Bunratty.