Limerick, Ireland, 16.9.2025: Restorative Tea and Cathedral Quiet

We arrived at Limerick on schedule about 7:30 A.M., having flown out of O’Hare in Chicago about 6 P.M. on the 15th. We’d gotten up about 3 A.M. to get to the airport around 5:30, so by the time we reached our hotel in Limerick, the Absolute, jet-lagged and starved for sleep, we did what travelers overseas are told not to do: we lay down and slept a good sleep for a number of hours. We had made arrangements ahead of time for a Limerick driver, Pat O’Connor, to pick us up at Shannon airport and drive us to Limerick. 

After we’d slept some hours, we decided it behooved us to get up and walk around a bit, if only to stretch our legs after the long flight. We headed in the direction of the shopping area at Arthur’s Quay, with a stop at St. Mary’s cathedral, which was along the way. Truth be told, it’s not especially architecturally impressive, and the quality of its church art and stained-glass windows is nothing to write home about. Even so, it was worth the visit, because it’s quiet and offers light refracted through many-colored bits of glass. I enjoyed the few minutes we spent inside St. Mary’s.

Then on towards Arthur’s Quay, but as we passed a place, The Locke Bar at George’s Quay, and saw its inviting outside tables, I suggested we stop and have a cup of tea and sandwiches and rest our already weary feet a minute. So we did just that — went inside, which was very cozy and inviting and traditional with lots of dark wood and gleaming brass, and ordered a pot of tea and two ham sandwiches.

The tea was just what we needed, strong enough to trot a mouse across and rich-flavored, and the sandwiches were good, with that crust on the white bread that comes from strong flour and gives the teeth a good bite. The sandwiches were so generous that we decided we’d each take half back to our room, and at that point, we decided we’d had enough walking, returned to the room and rested, and as evening fell, ate the halves of ham sandwich for our supper with some celery and carrot sticks Steve had made to take along for the trip. 

Then to bed and a long night’s sleep….