Knights on horseback bring culture to the castle

Horseback archer Zoltan Gere at King John's Castle.

A RARE opportunity to experience what life was like in Limerick during Mediaeval times is one of the events lined up for Culture Night on Friday, September 21.

King John’s Castle, which is now the city’s top visitor attraction, was a significant mediaeval fortress and to celebrate Culture Night it will once again reverberate to the sound of knights on horseback.

Horseback archery demonstrations will feature ancient weapons including swords, lances, sabres, long spears, hammer axes, pickaxes, and reflex bows. The shows and talks will be presented by Zoltan Gere, an expert in the ancient martial art of horseback archery.

The visitor experience at King John’s Castle is designed to take visitors on a journey to the past to learn about some of the castle’s most interesting moments. The castle walls and towers stand testament to the skill and ingenuity of stonemasons, carpenters and crafts men who worked on their construction. The Castle’s colourful 800 year history is a reminder of times of turbulence and upheaval followed by peace and prosperity.

The visitor centre, which has state of the art interpretive activities and exhibitions, features touch screen technology and 3D models that allow visitors to interact as they learn about the tales of siege and warfare at the castle.

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Shannon Heritage managing director Niall O’Callaghan said that the return of Knights on Horseback would be one of the highlights of Culture Night.

“Knights have always been strongly associated with King John’s Castle and these demonstrations will give visitors an idea of what horseback archery combat was like. We are looking forward to seeing horseback archery expert Zoltan Gere demonstrate his amazing skills,” he said.

by Tom McCullough
news@limerickpost.ie

 

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