King John's Castle dates back the construction in 1212 and took decades to complete. First to be built was the imposing two towerd gatehouse.  All the construction was under the control of the Master Mason who was not only architect and engineer but also responsible for the hiring and firing of trademen on the site.

By the 1500s the thriving city was home to 3,500 people and the port which was run by the Corporation weathy merchants and property owners - was trading closely with Europe.  In 1535 Edmund Sexton - a protestant - was appointed as the first Irish mayor of Limerick.  Sexton seized monastic lands and imprisoned Irish rebels which made him unpopular with the city's catholics.  When he died in 1554 - possibly murdered - his body was taken from its tomb by its heels, hidden above the ceiling of St. Mary's Catherdral for three years.

Here inside this great castle the Normans would have put a great deal of effort into planning their millitary campaigns before marching though the gatehouse out into the open, prepared for battle.

During the siege of 1642, 800 people were trapped within the walls and suffered truly dreadful conditions. People from all wlks of life suffered together in squalid makeshift shelters with little food or drink.  The dead were buried in a pit near the gatehouse, a stones throw away from those still desperately clinging to life.

In King John's Castle you are surrounded by the archaeological remains of buildings and structures that once stood on the site.  There are Ostman Houses which predate Norman times and were built by Viking settlers who intermarried with the local Irish population.  The 17th century Bastion Wall and Sallyport are visible along with a tunnel which was dug by Irish Rebels during the siege of 1642.

In the courtyard can be seen the remains of the Great Hall which was built around 1280. For almost 500 years this was the largest building within the castle walls.  Looking at the original gable wall that's still standing above ground, you can get a sense of just how big it must have been.  The Great Hall had a number of functions.  The Constable - the official running the castle - would have entertained powerful guests here.  In the 18th century the Great Hall was destroyed to make way for a new miliary barracks.

Despite its turbulent past, King John's Castle is still standing proud in the heart of Limerick city.  Right up until the end of the 20th century when the castle was reclaimed as a National Monument, there were people living within the walls just as the Normans had 800 years before them.