Limerick - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Limerick
is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, and the principal city of County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

and Ireland's Mid-West Region

Mid-West Region, Ireland

The Mid-West Region is a NUTS Level III region of the Republic of Ireland and is governed by the Mid-West Regional Authority. It consists of the area under the jurisdiction of the county councils of counties Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, along with Limerick City Council. The Mid-West region...

. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the Republic of Ireland, with an urban population of 90,757. Limerick is the second-largest city in the province

Province

A province is a territorial unit, almost always an administrative division, within a country or state.-Etymology:The English word "province" is attested since about 1330 and derives from the 13th-century Old French "province," which itself comes from the Latin word "provincia," which referred to...

of Munster

Munster

Munster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the south of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial purposes...

, an area which constitutes the midwest and southwest of Ireland. The city is situated on several curves and islands of the River Shannon

River Shannon

The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...

, which spreads

Shannon Estuary

The Shannon Estuary is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south...

into an estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

shortly after Limerick. Road infrastructure features four main crossing points near the city centre (an additional river tunnel to the west of the three bridges opened in July 2010). Limerick is one of the constituent cities of the Cork-Limerick-Galway corridor

Cork-Limerick-Galway corridor

The Cork-Limerick-Galway corridor links the Republic of Ireland's second, third, fourth largest urban centres.-Transportation links:Limerick lies midway between Cork and Galway approximately 100km from both cities.-Road:...

, which has a population of 1 million.

History

Luimneach originally referred to the general area along the banks of the Shannon Estuary

Shannon Estuary

known as Loch Luimnigh. The earliest settlement in the city, Inis Sibhtonn, was the original name for King's Island during the pre-Viking and Viking eras. This island was also called Inis an Ghaill Duibh, The Dark(haired) Foreigner's Island. The name is recorded in Viking

Viking

The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...

sources as Hlymrekr.

The city dates from at least the Viking

Viking

settlement in 812. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick

St Mary's , is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Limerick city, Ireland which is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Limerick, it is now one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and...

. During the civil wars of the 17th century the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

in 1651 and twice by the Williamites

William III of England

William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...

in the 1690s. This turbulent period earned the city its motto: Urbs antiqua fuit studisque asperrima belli (An ancient city well studied in the arts of war).

Limerick grew rich through trade in the late 18th century, but the Act of Union

Act of Union 1800

The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...

in 1800 and the famine caused a crippling economic decline broken only by the so-called Celtic Tiger

Celtic Tiger

Celtic Tiger is a term used to describe the economy of Ireland during a period of rapid economic growth between 1995 and 2007. The expansion underwent a dramatic reversal from 2008, with GDP contracting by 14% and unemployment levels rising to 14% by 2010...

in the 1990s.

The Waterford

Waterford

Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

and Limerick Railway linked the city to the Dublin-Cork

Cork (city)

Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...

main line in 1848 and to Waterford

Waterford

in 1853. The opening of a number of secondary railways in the 1850s and 1860s developed Limerick as a regional centre of communications.

Local government

The local government area of Limerick city is under the jurisdiction of Limerick City Council

Limerick City Council

Limerick City Council is the local authority which is responsible for the city of Limerick in Ireland. It is the responsible for local government, sanitation, motor vehicles tax, and social housing.-History:...

. This entity has the same status in law as a county council

County council

A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...

. The Council has responsibility for local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing within the city boundary area. The City Council comprises elected ward councillors with an appointed full time CEO as City Manager. Local elections are held every five years and the councillors annually elect a Mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

to chair the council and represent the City. The current mayor is Councillor Maria Byrne. Former well-known mayors include TDs Donogh O'Malley, Stephen Coughlan

Stephen Coughlan

Stephen "Stevie" Coughlan was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for eighteen years as Teachta Dála for the Limerick East constituency....

, Michael Lipper

Michael Lipper

Michael Lipper was an Irish Labour Party politician who served for four years as an independent TD for the Limerick East constituency....

, Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy

Jim Kemmy was an Irish socialist politician from Limerick, who started his political career in the Labour Party...

and Jan O'Sullivan

Jan O'Sullivan

Jan O'Sullivan is an Irish Labour Party politician. She is a Teachta Dála for Limerick City constituency and is the current Minister of State for Trade and Development.-Personal life:...

.

In the hinterland of the city proper, many housing estates were built during the 1960s. These are in the local government area that is under the jurisdiction of Limerick County Council

Limerick County Council

Limerick County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Limerick in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The head of the council has the title of...

. These include Dooradoyle, Castletroy

Castletroy

Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

— including the University

University of Limerick

The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...

, Gouldavoher, and Raheen. A number of suburbs such as Westbury and Parteen

Parteen

Parteen is a small village in south-east County Clare. The village has a large Roman Catholic church, three public houses, Brownes , Parteen House and The Blackwater Inn. There is also a national school which has been in place since 1974 and has recently been expanded...

to the north of the city are governed by Clare County Council

Clare County Council

Clare County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Clare in Ireland. The Council is responsible for Housing and Community, Roads and Transportation, Urban planning and Development, Amenity and Culture, and Environment....

.

The boundaries of the city were extended on March 1, 2008, when the Limerick City Boundary Alteration Order 2008 came into effect. This followed demands from city councillors for a redrawing of the boundary, which was deemed antiquated and inaccurate for modern-day Limerick. The order added an area of approximately 1,020 hectares from County Limerick, increasing the city's area by almost 50% and increasing the population by an estimated 7,000. The added area comprises the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

s of Clonmacken, Caherdavin, Knock, Shanabooley, Ballygrennan, Clonconane, Clondrinagh, Coonagh East and Coonagh West. The previous boundary, encompassing 2,086 hectares, was delineated in 1950.

Currently, Limerick City Council consists of three wards; Limerick East, Limerick North and Limerick South which elect four, six and seven councillors respectively . Fine Gael

Fine Gael

Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...

are the largest party on the council with eight seats, followed by Labour

Labour Party (Ireland)

The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...

with four, Independents with three and Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...

and Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin

Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...

with one each.

For national Dáil elections Limerick City was in the Limerick East constituency until 2011. From 2011, the constituency boundaries have changed in accordance with the proposals of the Constituency Commission

Constituency Commission

The Constituency Commission is an independent statutory body in Ireland, whose remit is to make a report in relation to the constituencies for the election of members to Dáil Éireann and of members to the European Parliament from Ireland...

and the subsequent Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009

Electoral (Amendment) Act 2009

The Electoral Act 2009 is a law of the Republic of Ireland which provided for parliamentary constituencies for the 31st Dáil Éireann. The 31st Dáil was elected at the 2011 general election in March 2011....

. This changed the electoral boundaries from Limerick East

Limerick East

Limerick East was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1948 to 2011. The method of election was the single transferable vote form of proportional representation ....

and Limerick West

Limerick West

Limerick West was a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas from 1948 to 2011. The constituency elected 3 deputies...

to Limerick City

Limerick City (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Limerick City is a parliamentary constituency in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 4 deputies...

and Limerick

Limerick (Dáil Éireann constituency)

Limerick is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 3 deputies...

. Limerick city encompasses the city, the suburban areas of Castletroy

Castletroy

Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

and as far east as Castleconnell

Castleconnell

Castleconnell is a scenic village on the banks of the River Shannon, some from Limerick city and within a few minutes walk of the boundaries with counties Clare and Tipperary....

. It also includes part of south County Clare

County Clare

-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

, whereas Limerick county constituency takes in the rest of the county. For European parliament

European Parliament

The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...

elections Limerick is in the South Ireland

South Ireland (European Parliament constituency)

-2004 election:-External links:*...

Climate

Limerick's climate is classified as Temperate Oceanic (Köppen Cfb), Limerick has a mild climate, with the average daily maximum in July of 20 °C (68 °F) and the average daily minimum in January of 4 °C (39.2 °F). The highest temperature recorded was 31.6 °C (88.9 °F) in 1995, and the lowest -11.2 °C in 1998. Limerick is one of Ireland's cloudiest cities, averaging only 1,273 sunshine hours annually, with an average of 62 days of no recordable sunshine.

Culture

The Belltable Arts Centre on O'Connell Street

O'Connell Street, Limerick

O'Connell Street is Limerick's Main Thoroughfare. It was previously known as George's Street until it was renamed after Daniel O'Connell. Shops on O'Connell Street include Penneys, Debenhams and Brown Thomas...

hosts for local playwriting and drama. Mike Finn's numerous plays have been successful, including Pigtown, set around a century of the city's history, and Shock and Awe, an energetic retelling of Homer

Homer

In the Western classical tradition Homer , is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest ancient Greek epic poet. These epics lie at the beginning of the Western canon of literature, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.When he lived is...

's Iliad

Iliad

The Iliad is an epic poem in dactylic hexameters, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles...

. The new University Concert Hall provides a large venue for national and international acts to visit the city. Limerick is also the home of several "street theatre" companies, including "Janzo Street Arts" and "The Umbrella Project" street theatre companies.

The Limerick City Gallery of Art

Limerick City Gallery of Art

Limerick City Gallery of Art is an art museum in the city of Limerick, Republic of Ireland...

on Pery Square is the city’s chief venue for contemporary art

Contemporary art

Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...

exhibitions. It is home to a permanent collection of Irish art

Irish art

The early history of Irish art is generally considered to begin with early carvings found at sites such as Newgrange and is traced through Bronze Age artefacts, particularly ornamental gold objects, and the religious carvings and illuminated manuscripts of the medieval period...

, which shows works from the early 18th to 20th century. Limerick's major contemporary art event is EV+A (Exhibition of Visual+ Art), which takes place in the city annually, often in controversial ways. Established in 1977, EV+A has become one of Ireland's premier annual exhibitions of contemporary art. Selected each year by a new curator, it brings international artworks and art by Irish artists to Limerick. The centre of the exhibition is the Limerick City Gallery of Art, but EV+A generally uses numerous other venues throughout the city.

Other active Limerick arts groups include Contact Studios, which provides individual studio spaces for visual artists; the Daghdha Dance Company, a contemporary dance company that has adopted a renovated church in John's Square, adjacent to St John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral, Limerick

St. John's Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in Limerick, Ireland. Built in 1861 and designed by the architect Philip Charles Hardwick, it has been in continuous use since....

, as a performance space); the Fresh Film Festival, which is held each spring, and includes films made by young people (7–18 years) from all over Ireland; Impact Theatre Company; and Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery, which provides printmaking facilities, a venue for exhibitions and events and an education programme. The Limerick Youth Theatre provides young people with an opening into acting and production. It received attention in the national media with its 2005 production of Romeo and Juliet, which made comparisons between the ongoing feud in the city with that of the Montagues and the Capulets in the play.

The city has an active music scene, which has produced bands such as The Cranberries

The Cranberries

The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...

and guitarist Noel Hogans' MonoBand, The Hitchers and many more. World-renowned electronic musician Richard D. James, more commonly known as Aphex Twin

Aphex Twin

Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...

, was born in Limerick in 1971. The Limerick Art Gallery and the Art College cater for painting, sculpture and performance art of all styles. The Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Irish World Music Centre are both based in the University of Limerick. The University has a thousand-seat state-of-the-art concert hall that frequently hosts visiting performers. Limerick is also home to comedians The Rubberbandits

The Rubberbandits

The Rubberbandits are the award-winning comedy hip-hop duo of Blindboy Boat Club and Mr. Chrome from Limerick, Ireland. Primarily a satirical stage and television act, they have performed throughout Ireland, the UK and USA with shows at events such as Electric Picnic Oxegen and the Bulmers...

, D'Unbelievables (Pat Shortt

Pat Shortt

Pat Shortt is an actor, comedian and entertainer. In 2007, he starred in the film Garage, directed by Lenny Abrahamson for which he won the Best Actor award at the 2008 IFTAs...

& Jon Kenny

Jon Kenny

Jon Kenny lives in Lough Gur and is one half of the famous Irish comic duo d'Unbelievables with Pat Shortt...

), Jimmy Carr

Jimmy Carr

James Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr is an English-Irish comedian and humourist. He is known for his deadpan delivery and dark humour. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television....

and Karl Spain

Karl Spain

Karl Spain is an Irish comedian from Limerick. He is from the Corbally area of the city and was educated at CBS Sexton Street.In 2000, Spain won the RTÉ award for Best New Act....

. Dolans Warehouse on the Dock Road has two venues specialising in live music; an upstairs venue which tends to accommodate comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...

s and folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

and jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

acts, and a much larger warehouse venue holding 400, which tends to stage more popular (usually rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

) acts, both national and international. Dance music is catered for at Baker Place which holds mainly local underground nights and Trinity Rooms which has regularly hosts big names like Hot Chip, Groove Armada, DJ Yoda and Jazzy Jeff alongside more cutting-edge names like Dan Le Sac, Christian Smith, and Missill.

The city is the setting for Frank McCourt's memoir Angela's Ashes
Angela's Ashes
Angela's Ashes is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt. The memoir consists of various anecdotes and stories of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood and early adulthood in Brooklyn, New York and Limerick, Ireland, as well as McCourt's struggles with poverty, his father's...

and the film adaptation

Angela's Ashes (film)

Angela's Ashes is a 1999 Irish-American drama film based on the memoir of the same title by Frank McCourt. It was directed by Alan Parker and starred Emily Watson, Robert Carlyle, Joe Breen, Ciaran Owens, and Michael Legge .-Plot:Angela's Ashes tells the story of Frank McCourt and his childhood...

. It is the setting for the contemporary coming-of-age drama Cowboys & Angels and Robert Cunningham

Robert Cunningham

Robert Cunningham was a British-Canadian lay missionary turned entrepreneur who founded the town of Port Essington, British Columbia....

's Somebody's Daughter
Somebody's Daughter
Somebody's Daughter is a 1992 television film starring Nicollette Sheridan, Nick Mancuso, Boyd Kestner, Michael Cavanaugh, Max Gail and Richard Lineback. It was directed by Joseph Sargent and written by Lauren Currier....

, which was shot in various locations around the city and had its premiere in King John's Castle in July 2004.

A limerick

Limerick (poetry)

A limerick is a kind of a witty, humorous, or nonsense poem, especially one in five-line or meter with a strict rhyme scheme , which is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. The form can be found in England as of the early years of the 18th century...

is a type of humorous verse

Poetry

Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...

of five lines with an AABBA rhyme scheme

Rhyme scheme

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhyme between lines of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme. In other words, it is the pattern of end rhymes or lines...

: the poem's connection with the city is obscure, however, the name is generally taken to be a reference to Limerick City or County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

. sometimes particularly to the Maigue Poets, and may derive from an earlier form of nonsense verse

Nonsense verse

Nonsense verse is a form of light, often rhythmical verse, usually for children, depicting peculiar characters in amusing and fantastical situations. It is whimsical and humorous in tone and tends to employ fanciful phrases and meaningless made-up words. Nonsense verse is closely related to...

parlour game that traditionally included a refrain that included "Will [or won't] you come (up) to Limerick?" The earliest known use of the name "Limerick" for this type poem is an 1880 reference, in a St. John, New Brunswick newspaper, to an apparently well-known tune,

Broadcasting

RTÉ lyric fm

RTÉ lyric fm is an Irish classical music radio station, owned by the public-service broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. The station, which is based in Limerick, was launched in 1999 and is available on FM in Ireland, on satellite, on Sky Digital in Ireland and United Kingdom and via the...

, a state-run classical music radio station and part of RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

, broadcasts nationally from studios in the city centre. Limerick's local radio station is Live 95FM

Live 95FM

Limerick's Live 95fm is a radio station in the Republic of Ireland owned by UTV Radio, broadcasting to Limerick city and county-History:The station was launched from O'Connell Street in Limerick as the "New 95FM" on November 6, 1997 as a replacement for the previous local radio franchise holder...

, broadcasting from 'Radio House', near the waterfront at Steamboat Quay. Spin Southwest, owned by Communicorp, broadcasts to Counties Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

, Clare

County Clare

, Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

, North Tipperary

Tipperary

Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....

and southwest Laois

County Laois

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...

from its studios at Landmark Buildings in the Raheen Industrial Estate. Student radio station, Wired FM, broadcasts on 99.9FM from Mary Immaculate College. Wired FM also has studios in Limerick Institute of Technology. Limerick Regional Hospital has a radio station on 94.2FM, but this can be heard only in the hospital and surrounding area.
West Limerick 102

West Limerick 102

West Limerick 102 is a community radio station broadcasting to the western parts of County Limerick in Ireland. The station operates on a non-commercial basis and has a five year license issued by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland. The station went on air in May, 2005 and was officially opened...

is broadcast from Newcastle West

Newcastle West

Newcastle West is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. The town is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, and is sited on the River Arra which flows into the River Deel...

. The national broadcaster, RTÉ

RTE

RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...

, has radio studios in the city, which are periodically used to broadcast programming from Limerick.

Print

Several local newspapers are published in the city, including The Limerick Post
Limerick Post
rightThe Limerick Post is a free weekly newspaper, distributed throughout Limerick City and County, parts of Clare, Tipperary in the region of Munster, Ireland....

and The Limerick Leader and magazines include the Limerick Event Guide, Business Limerick and Limerick Now.

Places of interest

Limerick City is one of the country's main tourist destinations, only a 15-minute drive from Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...

. Currently tourism is growing at a spectacular rate with over 1,000 new beds being opened in the city in 2006 thanks to the opening of five new hotels. The city is the first to provide visitors with 'Street Ambassadors', people designated to help others around and make their stay more enjoyable.

Limerick is know to be an antipodes to the Cambell islands of New Zealand.

Tourist attractions in the city centre include King John's Castle (1212), St Mary's Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick

(1168), Hunt Museum

Hunt Museum

The Hunt Museum is a museum in the city of Limerick, Ireland. Holding a personal collection donated by the Hunt family, it was originally situated in the University of Limerick, before being moved to its present location in 1997. It can now be visited in the old custom house, an historic 18th...

, several seasonal tours (Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt. The memoir consists of various anecdotes and stories of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood and early adulthood in Brooklyn, New York and Limerick, Ireland, as well as McCourt's struggles with poverty, his father's...

walking tour of Limerick City, historical walking tour and boat tours along the River Shannon

River Shannon

), the University of Limerick

University of Limerick

, Georgian house and gardens and the Treaty Stone

Treaty of Limerick

The Treaty of Limerick ended the Williamite war in Ireland between the Jacobites and the supporters of William of Orange. It concluded the Siege of Limerick. The treaty really consisted of two treaties which were signed on 3 October 1691. Reputedly they were signed on the Treaty Stone, an...

. Adare village and the Foynes Flying Boat Museum, approximately 35 km (22miles/30 minutes) from Limerick City along the scenic coastal N69 route from Limerick to Tralee, are also popular attractions. The Limerick City Museum

Limerick City Museum

Limerick City Museum is a city museum in Limerick, Republic of Ireland.The museum was founded in 1906. It is located next to the main entrance of King John's Castle on the east bank of the River Shannon. To the south is the Hunt Museum. The ground floor of the museum is dedicated to the history of...

(formerly aka the Jim Kemmy Municipal Museum), is next to King John's Castle. It contains displays on Limerick's history and manufactures.

The city centre is divided between the traditional areas of "English Town" on the southern end of King's Island, which includes the castle; "Irish Town", which includes the older streets on the south bank; and the current economic centre, called "Newtown Pery". Newtown Pery was built in the late 18th century before the Act of Union

Act of Union 1800

The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...

and, unusually for an Irish city and unique in Limerick, is laid out on a grid plan

Grid plan

The grid plan, grid street plan or gridiron plan is a type of city plan in which streets run at right angles to each other, forming a grid...

. Limerick city centre is changing rapidly, with the construction of several modern high-rise buildings in the early 2000s. The suburban regions, where the majority of the population now live, have grown out from the centre along the main roads to Ennis (North Circular and Ennis Road areas/Caherdavin

Caherdavin

Caherdavin is a northern suburban district of Limerick City in the mid-west of Ireland. It had a population in 2002 of 6,613....

), Dublin (Castletroy

Castletroy

Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

and the University) and Cork (Ballinacurra/Dooradoyle/Raheen). Suburban houses are generally two floor semi-detached homes for single families. These were built from the 1960s onwards in large estates by government projects and commercial developments, although there are many examples of Edwardian and older 1930s suburban homes on the main suburban thoroughfares leading towards the city (North & South Circular, Ballinacurra Road, O'Connell Avenue).

Much Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture

Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...

was evident in the city from about the 1800s onwards. Although some has been demolished, much of the Newtown Pery area is built in the Georgian fashion. Other architectural buildings of note in the city are King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral

St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick

in English Town and St John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral, Limerick

St. John's Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in Limerick, Ireland. Built in 1861 and designed by the architect Philip Charles Hardwick, it has been in continuous use since....

, designed by the notable Victorian architect, Philip Charles Hardwick

Philip Charles Hardwick

-Life:Philip Charles Hardwick was a notable English architect of the 19th century who was once described as "a careful and industrious student of mediaeval art"...

. St Mary's Cathedral, at over 800 years old, is one of the oldest in Ireland. St John's Cathedral, whilst more modern, has Ireland's tallest spire at 94 m (308 ft).
One of Ireland's most celebrated museums, the Hunt Museum

Hunt Museum

, is based in the historic 18th-century former Custom House. The museum was established to house an internationally important collection of approximately 2000 works of art and antiquities formed by John and Gertrude Hunt

John Hunt (antiquarian)

John Hunt was a historian, antiquarian, and collector. Together with his wife Gertrude, he amassed the collection that today forms the basis of the Hunt Museum, Limerick, Ireland. He encouraged Lord Gort to restore Bunratty Castle. He is commemorated by a bust in the castle because of this...

during their lifetimes. On display are the 9th century Antrim Cross, a sketch by Picasso and a bronze sculpture of a horse, said to be from a design by Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...

.

Limerick City has a vibrant nightlife, with numerous nightclubs such as Trinity Rooms, The Icon, Ted's and The Sin Bin. Pubs such as Nancy Blake's, Tom Collins and Mickey Martin's give a range of drinking experiences from the warm and cosy to cutting edge. Dolan's Warehouse is a popular small concert venue that hosts many local, national and international folk, indie, jazz and rock acts. It is also an established venue for traditional Irish music.

Demographics

The population of Limerick city and the immediate urban area was 90,757 at the 2006 census carried out by the CSO), of whom 56,779 live within the city territorial limits. In the 2011 Census Limerick city recorded the largest population decline in the country, however, the population has grown in the city's hinterland. The decline may be due in part to the Limerick regeneration process where in these areas the largest reduction was reported nationally and also to outward migration following the collapse of the local and national economy from 2008 onwards. Limerick is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in Ireland. As with most other large cities in the country, Limerick has attracted a noticeable immigrant community over the past decade. The Polish community is the second largest outside of Dublin, with an estimated 10,000 living and working in the city. Ireland's first Polish bank opened in 2007. The African community has set up a number of churches, which are now part of the cultural makeup of the city.

About 41% of all housing within the Limerick City Council boundary is local authority, the highest in Ireland, however, this figure excludes Limerick's suburbs which are administered by Limerick and Clare county councils and therefore does not give an overall accurate account of the wider city area. The unemployment rate in the city in the 2006 census was the highest in the Republic, at 14.6%.

Limerick is the fourth most populous city in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin, Cork and Galway (though its urban area population is greater than Galway's), and the city including suburbs is the fourth largest urban area on the island of Ireland (after Dublin, Belfast and Cork).

Economy

Limerick is at the heart of the region dubbed "the Midwest". Also known as the "Shannon Region", this is primarily an economic and social concept. The region encompasses County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

, County Clare

County Clare

, North County Tipperary

County Tipperary

County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...

and Northwest County Kerry

County Kerry

, with its focal point centred on Limerick and its environs within an eight-kilometre (five-mile) radius.

The area is possibly the main economic region outside of Dublin and Cork

Cork (city)

. Its economic success has been driven in part by the University of Limerick

University of Limerick

, Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport

in Co. Clare and Shannon Development

Shannon Development

Shannon Development is an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland and encompases counties Clare, Limerick, and parts of Kerry, Offaly and Tipperary....

(an economic development agency), whose precursor was SFADCO (Shannon Free Airport Development Company), an economic agency that provided tax incentives to companies locating in the area surrounding Shannon Airport. Shannon Development is mostly concerned with disposing of valuable industrial park properties.

Historically Limerick was an agricultural commodity-driven economy, due to its position as the first major port along the River Shannon. The city was one of the main meat processing areas in Ireland, and industry included confectionery and flour production. In line with the changing economic landscape in Ireland, many multinational companies are based in Limerick. Dell had its main European Manufacturing Facility at the Raheen Business Park however in January 2009 Dell announced that it would close its Limerick computer manufacturing plant and move the production lines to Poland. The facility was the largest Dell manufacturing plant outside the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and produced 30,000–60,000 units

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

per day for export to the EMEA

Europe, the Middle East and Africa

Europe, the Middle East and Africa, usually abbreviated to EMEA, is a regional designation used for government, marketing and business purposes...

. Dell remains one of the largest employers in the mid-west with over 1,000 people employed in service and support. Analog Devices

Analog Devices

Analog Devices, Inc. , known as ADI, is an American multinational semiconductor company specializing in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts...

has its European manufacturing base in Raheen, 3 km south-west of the city centre. The site employs more than 1,000 people. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....

subsidiary Vistakon (the world's largest manufacturer of contact lenses) has a large facility in Castletroy

Castletroy

Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

in the National Technology Park

Plassey, County Limerick

Plassey is an area of County Limerick on the River Shannon, near Castletroy and Limerick, not to be confused with the Plassey estate in County Clare owned by Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive...

and also employes close to 1,000 people. It is Vistakon's only production facility outside the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

and one of the largest contact-lens manufacturing plants in the world.

Retail

The service industry is an important employer in the city. The city centre is one of the main shopping areas, with the pedestrianised Cruises St being one of the main shopping streets and also the recently pedestrianised Bedford Row. New on the agenda is the proposed pedestranisation of O'Connell St up to Roches St near the Oriental Foodstore and a new look for William St, the heart of Limerick City. Each side of the city has outlying shopping areas. Crescent Shopping Centre
Crescent Shopping Centre
The Crescent Shopping Centre is a major shopping centre in Limerick, Ireland. Located on what was at one time the outskirts of the city, in Dooradoyle, the centre now lies between the suburb of Raheen and the city proper...

is in Dooradoyle, not far from the city centre. It has over 90 shopping outlets along with restaurants and the 12-screen Omniplex Cinema. Regular bus services run from the city centre to the Crescent Shopping Centre. The Jetland Shopping Centre is in Caherdavin

Caherdavin

Caherdavin is a northern suburban district of Limerick City in the mid-west of Ireland. It had a population in 2002 of 6,613....

. It opened in 2005. Its main anchor is Dunnes Stores

Dunnes Stores

Dunnes Stores, also known as Dunnes, is a supermarket and clothing retail chain, that is based in Dublin, Ireland.The chain primarily sells food, clothes and household wares. In addition to its main customer base in Ireland, the chain has operations in Great Britain and Spain...

, with other shops and services including Golden Discs

Golden Discs

Golden Discs is a media retailer based, and trading in, Ireland. Its main competitors are HMV and previously Zavvi, however, Zavvi is no longer trading. Its outlets, however, are significantly smaller than those of HMV...

and Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...

The Milk Market located at Cornmarket Row in the city centre sells locally produced foods and products. The market is run by the Limerick Market Trustees and is one of the oldest markets run in the country. The market is open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with the Saturday market acting as the flagship and most popular market day. In 2010 work was undertaken to redevelop the existing market premises to an all – weather, all year round market facility as the market operated in an outdoor environment. The work involved constructing a large canopy over the existing market premises and was officially re-opened in June 2010.

Air

Shannon Airport

, 20 km west of the city in County Clare

County Clare

, is easily accessible by Limerick passengers due to the opening of the Limerick Tunnel

Limerick Tunnel

The Limerick Tunnel is a 675m long, twin-bore road tunnel underneath the River Shannon on the outskirts of Limerick City. The tunnel forms part of the N18 Limerick Southern Ring Road. The tunnel is tolled....

. It has scheduled flights to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an and North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

n destinations. Airlines using the airport include Ryanair

Ryanair

Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....

, Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus

Aer Lingus Group Plc is the flag carrier of Ireland. It operates a fleet of Airbus aircraft serving Europe and North America. It is Ireland's oldest extant airline, and its second largest after low-cost rival Ryanair...

and Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines

Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

. There is no rail link to the airport. Coonagh airfield, is a few kilometers west of Caherdavin

Caherdavin

Caherdavin is a northern suburban district of Limerick City in the mid-west of Ireland. It had a population in 2002 of 6,613....

, serving small private aircraft. Kerry and Cork Airports are around 1 hour 30 minutes and 2 hours drive away, respectively.

Bus

Local public transport is provided by Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...

, Ireland's national bus operator. City service routes are as follows (frequencies shown in brackets, in minutes):

301 City Centre to Shannon Banks or Westbury (301A) (20)
302 City Centre to Caherdavin
Caherdavin
Caherdavin is a northern suburban district of Limerick City in the mid-west of Ireland. It had a population in 2002 of 6,613....

(302A Caherdavin to University) (20)
303 Carew Park to Ballynanty (30/60) (30)
304 City Centre to Raheen (304A via Greenfields) (10)
305 Lynwood to Coonagh Roundabout (30–60)
306 Craeval Park to O'Malley Park
Southill, Limerick
Southill is an area in the south of Limerick, Republic of Ireland built up of four residential parks. The housing estates are O’Malley Park, Keyes Park, Kincora Park and Carew Park. Unemployment rates in the area as of 2003 were at four times the national average, with formal education in adults...

(30)
308 City Centre to University
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...

(308A via Pennywell) (15)
309 Pineview to St. Mary's Park
St. Mary's Park (Limerick)
St. Mary's Park is a housing estate in Limerick, Ireland.St. Mary's Park is one of the more impoverished areas in Limerick city that has suffered from anti-social behavior and high crime rates including gun and knife violence. Along with Moyross, Southill, and Ballinacurra weston, St...

(60)
312 City Centre to Ballycummin (60).
313 City Centre to Ardnacrusha (via Parteen) (40)
343 City Centre to Airport
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport, is one of the Republic of Ireland's three primary airports along with Dublin and Cork. In 2010 around 1,750,000 passengers passed through the airport, making it the third busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland after Dublin and Cork, and the fifth busiest airport on the island...

(Stops at some times) (55)

Buses run to towns and villages in the county and to Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport

. Intercity and international buses leave from the Bus Éireann bus station

Bus station

A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...

adjoining Colbert railway station

Limerick railway station

Limerick railway station serves the city of Limerick in County Limerick. It is on Parnell St, and is the main station on the Limerick Suburban Rail network....

. These include hourly services to Dublin, Cork

Cork (city)

and Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

and other cities, and a daily service to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

via the ferry from Rosslare Europort

Rosslare Europort

Rosslare Europort is a modern seaport located at Rosslare Harbour in County Wexford, Ireland, near the southeastern-most point of Ireland's coastline, handling passenger and freight ferries to and from Wales and France....

Rail

Iarnród Éireann

Iarnród Éireann is the national railway system operator of Ireland. Established on 2 February 1987, it is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann . It operates all internal intercity, commuter and freight railway services in the Republic of Ireland, and, jointly with Northern Ireland Railways, the...

's Colbert Station

Limerick railway station

Limerick railway station serves the city of Limerick in County Limerick. It is on Parnell St, and is the main station on the Limerick Suburban Rail network....

is the terminus

Terminal Station

Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...

for direct services to Dublin (serving intermediate stations), an all-day commuter service to Ennis

Ennis

Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....

, services to Ballybrophy

Ballybrophy

Ballybrophy is a village in County Laois, Ireland, with a population recorded in the 2002 census of 145. It forms part of the Borris-in-Ossory electoral area...

via Nenagh

Nenagh

Nenagh is the county town of North Tipperary in Ireland. It is the administrative centre of North Tipperary and in 2011 it had a recorded population of 7,995. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Ormond Lower...

, and a four-times daily service to Waterford

Waterford

and stations in County Tipperary

County Tipperary

. Services to and from Nenagh on the Ballybrophy line were expanded to include an extra commuter service each way in 2008. Due to speed restrictions this former direct route from Limerick to Dublin takes some 60 minutes longer (with a change at Ballybrophy) than other routes. Passengers for Cork and the South must change at Limerick Junction. Changing at Limerick Junction also gives Limerick extra services to Dublin – in fact services to/from Dublin involving a change are around ten minutes quicker than the direct trains. Construction work to reopen the Western Railway Corridor

Western Railway Corridor

The Western Railway Corridor , or Conair Iarnróid an Iarthair , in Ireland is a recent term for a mostly disused railway line running through the West of Ireland...

from Ennis

Ennis

Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....

to Galway

Galway

has been completed with plans to later extend this to Sligo

Sligo

Sligo is the county town of County Sligo in Ireland. The town is a borough and has a charter and a town mayor. It is sometimes referred to as a city, and sometimes as a town, and is the second largest urban area in Connacht...

, the last remaining section having previously closed in 1976 to passengers. In February 2006 it was first announced that regular services between Limerick and Galway

Galway

would be restored. Construction has been completed and the line opened on March 29, 2010. Sixmilebridge

Sixmilebridge

Sixmilebridge is a small town in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the town is a short distance away from the main N18 road, being on the old "back road" between the two...

station, on the existing line between Limerick and Ennis also has opened. The Railway Procurement Agency

Railway Procurement Agency

Railway Procurement Agency is a State Agency of the Department of Transport in the Republic of Ireland charged with the development of light railway and metro infrastructure...

has suggested that a tram system should be built in the city.

As part of its 2007 election manifesto, announced in April 2007, Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil

(currently the largest party in the Dáil and the Seanad) announced that it will conduct feasibility studies for bringing light rail systems to the Republic of Ireland

Republic of Ireland

's provincial cities – Cork

Cork (city)

, Galway

Galway

, Limerick and Waterford

Waterford

.

Limerick railway station

Limerick railway station

Limerick railway station serves the city of Limerick in County Limerick. It is on Parnell St, and is the main station on the Limerick Suburban Rail network....

opened on 28 August 1858, replacing an earlier, temporary station 500 m east, which had operated from 9 May 1848.

Road

Limerick's central location in the mid – west of Ireland means many important national primary routes converge on the city. The M7 (Dublin), N/M18 (Galway, Shannon), N/M20 (Cork), N21 (Tralee) and N24 (Waterford) routes all start/terminate in or near the city. Road infrastructure has improved over the past decade with the completion of the southern ring road and Limerick Tunnel

Limerick Tunnel

bypass of the city and the M20 bypass of Dooradoyle and Raheen to the south of the city. Connections to the other citys is improving also with the completion of the M7 motorway in December 2010, and continuing upgrades ongoing to the N/M18 to Shannon, Ennis and Galway. A motorway is also planned between Cork and Limerick.

Waterway transport

Transport on the River Shannon traditionally provided access from Limerick right up through the midlands of the country. The opening of the Grand Canal in the 18th century provided further access to Dublin and the east of the country. Waterway transport on the Shannon was regularly used to transport goods from Limerick to Dublin and vice versa however this mode of transport fell into decline in the 20th century. Originally Limerick port was located near the confluence of the Abbey and Shannon rivers at King's Island. Today the port

Shannon Foynes Port

Shannon Foynes Port is a port facility within the Shannon Estuary in Ireland. It is the second largest port in Ireland. It is operated and managed by the Shannon Foynes Port Company, whose main operating office is based in Foynes, County Limerick...

is located further downstream on the Shannon alongside the Dock Road and is operated by the Shannon Foynes Port Company who operate all marine activities in the Shannon estuary. It is a general purpose facility port. Plans to close the port and relocate all activity to the deepwater facility further downstream at Foynes

Foynes

Foynes is a village and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 606 as of the 2006 census.-Foynes's role in aviation:...

have been abandoned. The plans included a major regeneration of the dockland area.

Education

Limerick is an important centre of higher education in Ireland. It is home to a number of higher-education institutions including the University of Limerick

University of Limerick

, Limerick Institute of Technology

Limerick Institute of Technology

Limerick Institute of Technology is an institution of higher education in Limerick, Ireland and is one of 13 institutes that are members of the Institutes of Technology Ireland . The Institute has four campuses in Limerick City, one in both Thurles and Clonmel in County Tipperary and a regional...

and Mary Immaculate College

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick

Mary Immaculate College , also known as Mary I or MIC, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts, founded in 1898. It became academically linked to the University of Limerick in 1991. The college has approximately 3,500 students and 300 staff...

and has a student population of over 20,000.

Technical and continuation education within the city traces its beginning back to the formation of the Limerick Athenaeum

Limerick Athenaeum

Limerick Athenaeum was a centre of learning, established in Limerick City, Ireland in 1852.-Background:Athenaeum, also Athenæum or Atheneum, is used in the names of institutions or periodicals for literary, scientific, or artistic study. It may also be used in the names of educational institutions...

Society in 1852. The Society's aims included "the promotion of Literature, Science, Art and Music".

The University of Limerick (UL), has a student population of over 13,000, and is about 5 km east of the city centre in the suburb of Castletroy

Castletroy

Castletroy is a rapidly growing and predominantly middle-class suburb of Limerick, Ireland and is the largest suburb in Munster. Its population is estimated at 40,000 as of 2010....

. It was established as the National Institute for Higher Education (NIHE) in 1972, and in 1989 was the first university to be established since the foundation of the State

Republic of Ireland

in 1922. It is notable for its programs of engineering

Engineering

Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

, information technology

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

, materials science

Materials science

Materials science is an interdisciplinary field applying the properties of matter to various areas of science and engineering. This scientific field investigates the relationship between the structure of materials at atomic or molecular scales and their macroscopic properties. It incorporates...

, sports science

Sports science

Sport science is a discipline that studies the application of scientific principles and techniques with the aim of improving sporting performance...

, humanities, teacher education, social sciences and music. In 2007, the university opened a medical school. The Irish World Music Centre specialises in traditional music and dance, and UL is host to the Irish Chamber Orchestra

Irish Chamber Orchestra

The Irish Chamber Orchestra is a Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. The ICO primarily gives concerts at the University Concert Hall, Limerick and at the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin...

. The campus includes a 50m Olympic-standard swimming complex, the first to be established in Ireland. The University has one of the longest footbridges in Europe, called the "Living Bridge", designed by Wilkinson Eyre Architects of London. Thomond College of Education, Limerick

Thomond College of Education, Limerick

Thomond College of Education, Limerick was established in 1973 in Limerick, Ireland as the National College of Physical Education to train physical education teachers...

was a successful teacher training college for secondary level and was integrated into the university in 1991.

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has a student population of 6,500 and is a centre for business, engineering, information technology, humanities, science and art education. The main campus is located at Moylish Park, about 3 kilometres north-west of the city centre, and the School of Art & Design

Limerick School of Art and Design

Limerick School of Art and Design or LSAD is an art college in Limerick City in Ireland. The school is one of the five constituent schools of Limerick Institute of Technology and operates on two of LIT's campuses in Limerick City, located on Clare Street and George's Quay; both are about 2KM from...

is located on campuses at Clare Street and George's Quay. Additional facilities and outreach centres are located at O'Connell Street and in Ennis

Ennis

Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....

, Co. Clare. The college was established as the Limerick College of Art, Commerce & Technology (CoACT) in the mid 1970s and was upgraded to a Regional Technical College (RTC) in 1993 and finally an Institute of Technology in 1997.

LIT has a strong sporting ethos, which is not surprising given its location adjacent to Thomond Park

Thomond Park

Thomond Park is a stadium located in Limerick in the Irish province of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union and count Munster Rugby, Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC as tenants. The capacity of the stadium is 26,500 following its large scale redevelopment in...

and the Gaelic Grounds

Gaelic Grounds

The Gaelic Grounds or Páirc na nGael is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Limerick City, Ireland, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams....

. It houses the Millennium Theatre, a popular northside venue for shows and concerts. LIT is taking over Tipperary Institute

Tipperary Institute

LIT Tipperary is a college of higher education, development agency and research centre in County Tipperary, Ireland and is one of the five constituent schools of Limerick Institute of Technology . Tipperary Institute was founded by the Irish Government in 1998 and opened two campuses in Thurles...

(TI) and the Thurles and Clonmel campuses of TI will become LIT Thurles and LIT Clonmel. This process is due to be completed by September 2011.

Mary Immaculate College is an education and arts college located just south-west of the city centre. The main focus is on the education of primary-level teachers.

Primary

Primary education

A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...

and secondary education

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

in the city is organised in a similar fashion to the rest of Ireland. The City Of Limerick Vocational Education Committee (CLVEC) provides education services for over 10,000 learners in the city at secondary and further education levels. It also runs Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh, an all Irish language secondary school. The other main secondary schools in the city are Castletroy College

Castletroy College

Castletroy College is a mixed community secondary school in Newtown, Castletroy, County Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in December 2000 and has over 100 rooms. It has over 1000 students.-Sport:...

, Crescent College Comprehensive

Crescent College

Crescent College Comprehensive SJ is a secondary school located on a section of 40 acres of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.- History :...

and St. Nessan's, which are all unisex. Ard Scoil Rís, CBS Sexton Street and St Munchin's College are boys only schools and Laurel Hill

Laurel Hill Coláiste

Laurel Hill Coláiste FCJ is an all-Irish, Catholic secondary school for girls, situated in the city of Limerick, Ireland. It is a relatively small school, with a student population of approximately 400...

, The Presentation and Scoil Carmel are girls only schools.

Sport

Rugby

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

, Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

, hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

, cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

and association football

Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

are popular sporting pastimes in Limerick. The city and suburbs also has many tennis

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

, athletics, and golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

clubs. The city is host to many large sporting events. Recent examples include the 2008 and 2009 Irish Open Golf Championships, the 2010 Irish Special Olympics

Special Olympics

Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and competitions to more than 3.1 million athletes in 175 countries....

, the All-Ireland Corporate Games and the World Baton Twirling Championships. Limerick has been designated as a European City of Sport for 2011 by the European Capitals of Sport Association (ACES).

Basketball

Similar to the rest of Ireland, basketball was a very popular sport in Limerick during the 1970s and 1980s, with up to four divisions in the men's and women's local leagues. It suffered a decline during the 1990s culminating in the complete demise of local league basketball in the city and surrounding areas. The main clubs in the city were St. Colm's and Marathon with St. Colm's in particular having a long history in the National Leagues. There has been somewhat of a revival in basketball in the city in recent years, particularly at underage level.

Limerick is currently represented in the National Leagues

Basketball Ireland

Basketball Ireland is the National Governing Body for Basketball in Ireland. The association has responsibility for the promotion, development and administration of all basketball activities in the Republic and Northern Ireland...

by the men's UL Eagles team and the women's UL Aughinish team. They both play their home games at the 2,500 capacity University Arena at the University of Limerick. There are a number of other teams at school and club level, including St. Colm's, Limerick Lakers, Taste of Europe, Limerick Celtic and Limerick Lions.

Cricket

Limerick Cricket Club

Limerick Cricket Club is a cricket team based in Limerick, Republic of Ireland. The club is a member of the Munster Cricket Union and plays in competitions organised by the Union.-History:...

is a member of the Munster Cricket Union and plays in competitions organised by the Union. The club has in the past provided players for the Ireland national cricket team.

Gaelic games

Ireland's national sports of Hurling

Hurling

and Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

are widely played in the city and its surrounding suburbs. Although Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

has not won the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

since 1973, it reached the finals in 1974, 1980, 1994, 1996 and 2007 and is considered one of the top eight teams in the game. The county won successive All-Ireland Under-21 titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The county's GAA teams display the Sporting Limerick logo. Sporting Limerick is a non commercial brand developed to "capture Limerick City & County's unique sporting culture and to promote its place as one of Europe's leading regions for on field performances, off field facilities and its superb supporter base."

Na Piarsaigh

Na Piarsaigh GAA (Limerick)

Na Piarsaigh is a Gaelic Athletic Association club situated on the north side of Limerick City, Ireland. It was founded in 1968. Na Piarsaigh competes in both the Limerick Senior Hurling Championship and the Limerick Intermediate Football Championship....

is the only city club playing hurling at senior level. Claughaun (Clochán), Monaleen (Móin a'Lín) and Mungret (Mungairit) compete at intermediate level and Old Christians (Sean-Chriostaithe), Milford (Áth an Mhuilinn), Saint Patrick's (Naomh Pádraig), Abbey Sarsfields (Sáirséalaigh na Mainstreach) and Crecora (Craobh Chumhra) compete at junior level.

Limerick won the first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

in 1887 when represented by the city's Commercials club and repeated the feat in 1896. Since then, the game has lived mostly in the shadow of hurling but a resurgence in 2000 saw the county win its first Munster Under-21 title and has since reached three Munster Senior finals. Monaleen (Móin a'Lín), Claughaun (Clochán) and Mungret (Mungairit) play football at the senior grade. Saint Patrick's (Naomh Pádraig) and Na Piarsaigh

Na Piarsaigh GAA (Limerick)

are at intermediate level and Milford (Áth an Mhuilinn), Abbey Sarsfields (Sáirséalaigh na Mainstreach) and Ballinacurra Gaels (Gaeil Bhaile na Cora) play at junior level.

A number of secondary school's compete in the Dr. Harty Cup

Dr. Harty Cup

The Dr. Harty Cup is a hurling competition for schools in the province of Munster in Ireland. The cup is presented to the winners of the Munster Colleges Senior "A" Hurling Championship. Players have to be under the age of 19 to compete. The winning team represents Munster in the Dr. Croke Cup...

, which is the Munster Colleges Hurling Championship. Limerick CBS has won the cup on 10 occasions, including four in a row from 1964 to 1967 and most recently in 1993. The school also won the Dr. Croke Cup

Dr. Croke Cup

The Dr. Croke Cup is an inter-county GAA competition in hurling. The first Croke Cups took place between 1896 and 1915. Clare was the first winner of the Dr Croke Cup for Hurling in 1896. In 1909 Ulster were expelled from the Dr...

, the All-Ireland Colleges Hurling Championship, on two occasions, in 1964 and 1966. Ardscoil Rís has won the championship on two occasions, in 2010 and 2011 and St. Munchin's College won it once, in 1922.

Both the University of Limerick (UL) and Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) have been successful in The Fitzgibbon Cup

Fitzgibbon Cup

The Fitzgibbon Cup the championship for top division of university hurling in Ireland. It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association...

, the All-Ireland Higher Education Hurling Championship. UL first won the championship in 1989 and have won it four times in all. LIT's two wins came in 2005 and 2007. Both of the colleges met in the final in 2011, with UL scoring an injury-time goal to win.

Limerick's Gaelic Grounds

Gaelic Grounds

The Gaelic Grounds or Páirc na nGael is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Limerick City, Ireland, home to the Limerick hurling and football teams....

(Pairc na nGael), on the Ennis Road, is the county team's home venue for both sports and has a current capacity of 49,000 following reconstruction in 2004. In 1961 it hosted Ireland's biggest crowd for a sporting event outside of Croke Park

Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

when over 61,000 paid to see the Munster hurling final between Tipperary and Cork.

Golf

There are three golf clubs associated with Limerick city. Limerick Golf Club

Limerick Golf Club

Limerick Golf Club is located at Ballyclough, on the southern outskirts of Limerick City, in Ireland. It is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland, founded by Alexander Shaw in the same year as the Golfing Union of Ireland, in 1891. The course and clubhouse are located on the original site of...

was founded in 1891 and is located at Ballyclough, 3 miles due south of the city centre. Castletroy Golf Club was founded in 1937 and is located in the suburb of Castletroy in the southwest of the city. Rathbane Golf Club is based at Rathbane Golf Course, a municipal facility opened in 1998 on the southern outskirts of the city and operated under license for Limerick City Council. Both Limerick and Castletroy have enjoyed considerable success at national level in inter-club competition. Limerick has won the Irish Senior Cup, the blue riband event of Irish amateur golf, on four occasions and was the first Irish club to win the European Club Championship, in 1980. Castletroy has won the Irish Senior Cup once.

Limerick Golf Club was host to the JP McManus Invitational Pro Am, one of the largest pro-am events of its kind in the world. It has contributed over €95m to local charities since its inception in 1990. The event moved to the larger Adare Golf Club in 2005 as it had outgrown the Ballyclough venue. Adare also played host to the Irish Open

Irish Open

Irish Open may refer to:*Irish Open , a golf tournament on the European Tour*Irish Senior Open, a golf tournament on the European Seniors Tour*Ladies Irish Open, a golf tournament on the Ladies European Tour...

in 2008 and 2009.

Rugby

Rugby Union

Rugby union

is very popular in the city and is widely played at all levels. Limerick is often referred to as the home of Irish rugby. Since its inception in 1991 the All-Ireland League

AIB League

The Ulster Bank All-Ireland League is the national league system for the 48 senior rugby union clubs in Ireland, covering both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is not, however, the highest level of rugby union in Ireland, as teams representing the four provinces of Ireland play...

has been dominated by Limerick City teams, with three clubs winning the competition 13 times between them: Shannon

Shannon RFC

Shannon Rugby Football Club is an amateur rugby union team from Ireland, they hail from Limerick near the banks of the Shannon river. The club is a member of the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch and as one of the top amateur sides in Ireland has seen many of its players progress to...

(9); Garryowen

Garryowen Football Club

Garryowen Football Club , usually referred to as Garryowen, is a rugby union club from Limerick, Ireland. Historically it has been one of the most successful clubs in Irish rugby union leagues.-Name:...

(3) and Young Munster

Young Munster

Young Munster is a Rugby union club based in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1895 and plays its games at Tom Clifford Park in Rosbrien, Limerick....

(1). The other senior clubs in the city are Old Crescent

Old Crescent

Old Crescent is a senior rugby club in Limerick.Old Crescent grew out of the Crescent College Munster School's cup team of 1947. Fr Gerry Guinane, who trained rugby in the College, saw great potential in that winning team and persuaded them to stay and play together. In September 1947 it became a...

, Thomond, and UL Bohemians. Richmond are a city club playing in the junior leagues.

The city's secondary schools compete in the Munster Senior

Munster Schools Senior Cup

The Munster Schools Senior Cup or Munster Senior Cup is the under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Munster Branch of the IRFU. The competition is currently sponsored by Avonmore....

and Junior

Munster Schools Junior Cup

The Munster Schools Junior Cup or Munster Junior Cup is the under-age rugby union competition for schools affiliated to the Munster Branch of the IRFU with team members under 15 years of age....

Cups and a number of schools have had notable success at both levels. The most successful rugby school in the city is Crescent College who have won the Senior Cup nine times and the Junior Cup five times, most recently in 2010. The school is affiliated to Old Crescent RFC. St Munchin's have won the Senior Cup five times since 1968 and the Junior Cup three times. Although Limerick CBS is more noted for hurling success, it won the Senior Cup on four occasions in the 1920s and 30s and the Junior Cup in 1932. Ardscoil Rís has won the Junior Cup twice, in 2003 and 2005 and Castletroy College won both senior and junior competitions in 2008.

All Munster European Heineken Cup

Heineken Cup

The Heineken Cup is one of two annual rugby union competitions organised by European Rugby Cup involving leading club, regional and provincial teams from the six International Rugby Board countries in Europe whose national teams compete in the Six Nations Championship: England, France, Ireland,...

matches are played at Thomond Park

Thomond Park

Stadium, where the Munster team

Munster Rugby

Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...

held a record of being unbeaten in the Heineken Cup for 26 consecutive games until the 16–9 defeat by Leicester in January 2007. Munster has won the Heineken Cup twice, in 2006 and 2008. Munster recorded a famous 12 – 0 victory against the New Zealand All Blacks in 1978 at Thomond Park. Munster is the only Irish team to have beaten the All Blacks, and came close a second time when the teams met again in 2008, losing 18–16. Munster also defeated an Australian touring side at Thomond Park in 2010.

Rugby League

Rugby league

Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...

is also played in Limerick and the city is represented in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League

Irish Elite League

The Irish Elite League or the Carnegie League as it is known by its sponsorship name is a rugby league competition for teams in the Republic of Ireland...

by the Treaty City Titans

Treaty City Titans

Treaty City Titans are an Irish semi-professional rugby league team based in Limerick City, Ireland. They play in the Munster Conference of the Irish Elite League...

. A Limerick based side is also planning to enter Super League

Super League

Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...

by 2016 playing matches out of Thomond Park

Thomond Park

, it is also set to host high profile rugby league matches including the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, an academy was also set up to identify players to play for Super League clubs.

Soccer

Soccer is very popular in the city and has more players involved than in any other sport. The city is represented in the League of Ireland

League of Ireland

The League of Ireland is the national association football league of the Republic of Ireland. Founded in 1921, as a league of eight clubs, it has expanded over time into a two-tiered league of 22 clubs. It is currently split into the League of Ireland Premier Division and the League of Ireland...

by Limerick FC. The club first joined the league in 1937 and has been involved since then, although there have been a number of variations of the club. Their most successful period was from the 1960s to the 1980s when they won 2 League of Ireland championships and two FAI Cup

FAI Cup

The Football Association of Ireland Challenge Cup, known as the FAI Ford Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a knock-out association football competition contested annually by teams from the Republic of Ireland...

s. The club played at The Market's Field

Markets Field

Markets Field is a former greyhound racing stadium in Garryowen in the city of Limerick, Ireland. The site was originally a Gaelic Games ground having been used as a venue for Munster championship games in both hurling and Gaelic football. Most of the All-Ireland semi-finals between Munster and...

until the mid 1980s when they controversially moved to a new venue. A period of declining fortunes and a nomadic existence followed. The club is currently challenging for promotion from the League of Ireland First Division, the second tier of Irish football. 'The Super Blues' now play their home games at Jackman Park

Jackman Park

Jackman Park is a football ground in Limerick, Republic of Ireland located on the Lower Carey's Road, that is home to Limerick F.C. It is regularly used by almost every grade of football in Limerick, from schoolboy to women's international games. The capacity is 2,450. The ground has a single 261...

which is located next to the railway station and is owned by the Limerick District Management Committee (LDMC), the governing body for junior soccer in Limerick. Limerick FC are expected to return to The Market's Field for the 2012/13 season, following the purchase of the venue by the Limerick Enterprise Development Partnership (LEDP) from Bord na gCon

Bord na gCon

Bord na gCon ,abbreviated BnaC, is an Irish semi-state body charged with regulating and promoting greyhound racing in Ireland. The board has been active in developing the sport in Ireland since its founding in 1958, but has also drawn criticism for acting independently of the government.- History...

, the Irish greyhound racing authority. The purchase was funded by a donation from the JP McManus Charitable Foundation.

Twinning

Limerick is twinned with the following places: New Brunswick
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Quimper, Brittany

Brittany

Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...

, France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

Limerick Township
Limerick Township, Pennsylvania
Limerick Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was named for the hometown of early settler William Evans, whose family arrived in the area from Limerick, Ireland in 1698. The township is mentioned in Philadelphia court records in the 1710s, but was not...

, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Starogard Gdański
Starogard Gdanski
Starogard Gdański is a town in Eastern Pomerania in northwestern Poland with 48,328 inhabitants...

, Pomeranian Voivodeship

Pomeranian Voivodeship

Pomeranian Voivodeship, or Pomerania Province , is a voivodeship, or province, in north-central Poland. It comprises most of Pomerelia , as well as an area east of the Vistula River...

, Poland

Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

External links

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