Welcome to the picture postcard village of Adare. ("Ath Dara" - the "ford of the oak") Snuggled in a wooden and lush countryside setting, Adare is widely regarded as being Ireland’s prettiest and most picturesque village. With thatched roof cottages and Tudor style houses, beautiful gardens and ivy clad medieval churches in beautiful surroundings on both sides of the street beside the river Maigue.

The old town of Adare, which stood on the northern bank of the river Maigue, near the Desmond castle, was destroyed during the 16th century wars. Almost all of the present village was built in the 19th century. The early developments were very haphazard but from about 1820, streets and buildings were laid out according to the, then, Earl of Dunraven’s design. He built houses and rented them, under various agreements, to his tenants, working on his estate lands.