Ireland · 13th century
King John's Castle (Irish: Caisleán Luimnigh) also known as Limerick Castle is a 13th-century castle located on King's Island in Limerick, Ireland, next to the River Shannon. Although the site dates back to 922 when the Vikings lived on the Island, the castle itself was built on the orders of King John of England in 1200. Some of the external walls, towers and fortifications remain, and the site is open for visitors. The remains of a Viking settlement were uncovered during archaeological excavations at the site in 1900.
The castle experienced five sieges during the 17th century. The walls were severely damaged during the 1642 siege when the castle was occupied by Protestants fleeing the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was besieged by an Irish Confederate force under Garret Barry.
Between 2011 and 2013, the castle underwent a €5.7 million redevelopment to improve the visitor facilities of the castle. Among the improvements were a modern visitor centre, interactive exhibitions with computer generated animations, and a cafe.
Text adapted from “King John's Castle (Limerick)” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
King John's Castle (Limerick) ranks #1,007 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #14 of the 178 mapped in Ireland. Founded 1210, it is older than 74% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 1080 atlas entries founded in the 13th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 4,835 times in the last 60 days, more than 86% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Limerick, 1 km away. See how Ireland compares in the castle statistics.
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