We drove through the central part of the Republic heading south through Limerick. Adare is a popular stop along the way with lots of medieval buildings and rows of thatched cottages. A river runs through the centre of the village and it was used by the women to wash their clothes. They used to soak the clothes and then bash them on the rocks with a wooden mallet called a beetle.
The Church of the Holy Trinity from the 13th century has been restored and today is a Catholic church.
Beside the church was a restored dove- cote. It was made of stone and had a hole in the top where the pigeons flew in and out. Inside the beehive shaped structure were ledges where the birds nested. Pigeons and their eggs were a common food at that time.
Several villages in this part of the country had flags flying in the local colours. They were showing support for their provincial Gaelic football and hurling teams. These sports are the most popular sports in Ireland. they are fast games with extremely aggressive contact between the players. Two teams of 15 players try to get the ball through a goal that looks like a rugby gaol with a netted soccer gaol under the crossbar. Goals above the bar and between the posts are worth one point while those under are worth three points. We haven't managed to see a hurling game yet but have seen lots of school children walking to and from practices with their wooden bats that look like large flattened hockey sticks known as hurley. A leather ball is used and it must be hit or carried on the hurley while hand passing is not allowed.
Gaelic football looks a lot like Australian Rules football.
