Grotto

Explorer Tom The Milk Market is secretly proud that it spends five days a week being a car park for people who don’t know better. Saturday mornings are its big night out where it gets to wear its fancy masonry again. Practise your Irish on it, it

Explorer Tom The J.J. Moloney house on Little Gerald Griffin Street does something wicked when nobody is looking; it polishes its own sash windows. It has serious architectural presence and knows it, so don’t try to steal its thunder. Just admire the facade from a respectful distance.

Explorer Tom Lower Gerald Griffin Street’s former dispensary had a dramatic pediment that once caught a pigeon mid-flight. It’s red brick with double-height pilasters, making it look like a very fancy toilet. Hope the doctor was having a good day.

Explorer Tom The Round House is complaining to the council that its cast-iron cresting is getting too much attention. It sits right at the High Street junction like a stone giant guarding the view. It's free, it's round, and it's utterly unbothered by your presence.

Explorer Tom House, shop or retail outlet in Limerick Municipal Borough once hosted a dramatic pigeon wedding that ended in feathers everywhere. The wrought-iron grille still looks offended by the whole mess. Check out those fancy bars on the way past.

Explorer Tom Sarsfield in County Limerick has strong opinions on modern buildings, mostly that they should all be made of stone like him. It’s a monument that looks like it’s judging your choice of footwear right now. Bring a pen pal, they'll be jealous.

Explorer Tom Sarsfield Memorial in Limerick would review its visitors as 'adequate' and deduct a star for not tipping their hats properly. The bronze guy looks like he’s about to start a fight with your phone camera. Bring a notebook and write down his angry face.

Explorer Tom The third Siege of Limerick honors a hero nobody remembers who saved the whole lot by tripping over a cannon and accidentally launching it into the moat. He didn't even get a statue, just a very confused look from the King and a free sandwich. It's free, it's odd, what more do you want?

Explorer Tom The Hunt Museum is what happens when two collectors refuse to leave the family treasures in boxes. John and Gertrude Hunt gathered art and historic objects so varied that I would need a bigger coat just to pretend I knew them all. Their collection first opened in a room at the University of Limerick's predecessor in 1978, then moved to the Georgian Custom House in 1997. You can go from the O'Dea Mitre and Crozier to works linked with Picasso, Jack B. Yeats and designer Sybil Connolly. I would claim to have spotted the Picasso at once, but my last confident guess in a gallery was a coat rack. The museum has changing displays as well as its collection, so check today's opening and admission arrangements. Give an object you do not recognise as much attention as a famous name. The Hunts clearly did.

Explorer Tom Limerick Seamen’s Memorial has strict rules: no running, no shouting, and definitely no wet socks. It remembers when ships were bringing goods into Ireland while we sat out the war. Practise your Irish on it, it won’t correct you.

Explorer Tom O'Connell Monument in County Limerick has had so many former names that it’s lost track and just goes by 'Big Guy Now' because it’s tired of all the renaming ceremonies and wants some peace and quiet. It probably remembers being called something completely different when the politicians last changed their minds, but it’s too dignified to admit it. Wave at the cows, they're the real locals.

Explorer Tom King's Island is the bit of Limerick the rivers drew for themselves. The Abbey River leaves the Shannon and joins it again, enclosing the island near the old crossing. In the south, Englishtown was once the walled city; to the north is the living neighbourhood of St Mary's Park. King John's Castle probably gave the island its name, although the ground had a story long before his builders arrived. I would try to rule it from a bridge, but the residents have had more than enough of outsiders with grand titles. Public streets and riverside approaches let you see the shape without treating people's homes as attractions. Check the best walking route and keep to open paths along the water. Cross one bridge and come back by another. You will understand the island faster than I can draw it.