Sightseeing in Limerick County
County Limerick lies on a fertile limestone plain divided by hills and gentle ridges. The area has long been inhabited, as witnessed by the Neolithic remains around Lough Gur, the early Christian ringforts (earthen embankments which were built to protect dwellings) and over 400 Norman castles. The last pre-20th century wave of construction resulted in the Georgian houses built by English and Scottish planters who settled in the West of County Limerick after the 1600.
The main city Limerick, featured in Frank McCourt's novel Angela's Ashes, has undergone extensive development in the last ten years and offers a number of good restaurants and bars and the excellent Hunt Museum.
Limerick City
Situated along the midwest coast of Ireland, Limerick City is in the county of Limerick, with a population of about 100,000.
Because of its strategic position on the Shannon river Limerick has been a trading city since the 10th century when it was settled by the Vikings. Limerick today has few traces of its medieval origins and the buildings are mostly Georgian. The city has two distinct areas: Englishtown, the oldest part of the city, built on an island in the Shannon; and Irishtown, which was developed from the fourteenth century onwards.
A farm food market is held in The Milk Market each Saturday from 9am til about 2pm. This market is located behind William St at the junctions of High St and Ellen St. There are general stalls on the streets surrounding the The Milk Market on the same day - clothes, bric-a-brack, garden plants and flowers, fast food, fish, etc. Plans are in train for an indoor market in the location. A large shopping centre is also about to be constructed on Ellen/Patrick St called The Opera Centre - in memory of a 1930's world opera star who lived in the area.
There are plans to demolish Arthurs Quay Shopping centre and rebuild it as part of a larger developement but as at December 2007 it is still in existance in its original form. A new shopping centre is near completion at the junction of Henry St and Bedford Row and includes a 5 star hotel The Marriott (part of the international hotel chain). Limerick city is at present pedestrianising the city centre and has done Bedford Row and part of Thomas St so far.
On the city's website - Limerick City Council - you can find lots of beautifull colour photos of Limerick City as it looks looks like today not to mention information about the city and its attractions.
Englishtown
Church of Ireland St Mary's Cathedral
Bridge Street
Tel: + 353 061 416 238
Built at the end of the twelfth century, only the Romanesque doorway, the nave and parts of the transepts remain from this period.
King John's Castle
Tel: + 353 061 411 201
King John's Castle was built not long after the Norman invasion at the end of the 12th century. One of the few remaining Medieval buildings of Limerick it is one of the best examples of fortified Norman architecture in Ireland.
Castle Lane Heritage Area
Castle Lane is a reconstruction of an 18th and 19th century Irish street which butts up against the outer wall of King John's castle. The development is home to the Limerick Civic museum and Castle Lane Tavern which is built in a style typical the 18th and 19th century.
Irishtown and the Modern City Centre
Hunt Museum
The Custom House
Rutland Street
Tel: + 353 61 312 833
Fax: + 353 61 312 834
Email: reservations@huntmuseum.com
Website: Hunt Museum Limerick
The Hunt Museum is housed in the fine 18th century Custom House in the centre of Limerick. The museum houses a collection that spans 9000 years and was the personal collection of John Hunt - antique dealer and military history expert (1900–76).
Limerick City Gallery of Art
Carnegie Building
Pery Square
Tel: + 353 61 310633
Fax: + 353 61 310228
The Limerick Art Gallery has a fine permanent collection including paintings by Jack B. Yeats and hosts many travelling exhibitions.
Limerick Museum
Castle Lane
at Nicholas Street
Tel: + 353 061 417 826
Website: Limerick Museum
Belltable Arts Centre
69 O' Connell Street
Limerick City
Tel: + 353 61 316 291
Fax: + 353 61 314 938
The Belltable Arts Centre is the principal Arts Centre in the Shannon Region. Located in a Georgian building in the centre of Limerick City, it houses a theatre, an exhibition space, film club, coffee shop. The Belltable hosts a variety of artistic events all year round, including theatre, film, exhibitions, poetry readings and music.
Parks
Arthur's Quay
Limerick
Tel: + 353 61 317 522
Arthur's Quay is located in the heart of the city and is an ideal place to see St. John's Castle. During the summer there are many live performances in the park.
Visitor Centres
Adare Heritage Centre
Main Street
Adare
Tel: + 353 61 396 666
Housed in a stone building with a traditional courtyard the heritage centre shows with models and displays how Adare looked in medieval times. traditional courtyard, it offers a walk-through display on Adare's colorful history, along with a model of the town as it looked in medieval times. There is also a 20-minute audiovisual presentation illustrating the many facets of Adare today. The center also houses a cafe, craft shop, knitwear shop, and library.
Celtic Theme Park
Kilcornan
Adare
Tel: + 353 61 394 243
Kilcornan is the Celtic Theme Park and Gardens that displays many of the aspects of Celtic Ireland: a stone circle, dolmen, holy well and twelfth-century church. The park blends replica artefacts with the original lake dwelling and ring fort.
Museums
Foynes Flying Boat Museum
Foynes
County Limerick
Tel: +353 69 65 416
This museum celebrates the flying boats - the first aircraft to make the Trans-Atlantic flight from the United States to Europe. The museum features the original terminal room, the radio and weather room, with original transmitters, receivers and Morse code equipment. A must for any one interested in aviation history.
Archaelogical Sites
Lough Gur
Tel: +353 61 361 511
7 miles (11km) SE of Limerick City on R512
Lough Gur is one of County Limerick's main attractions. Seventeen miles south of Limerick City, the land around the lake is one of the richest Neolithic sites in Europe.
Knockadoon
See the remains of earthworks showing ring forts and hut foundations dating from 3500 to 1000 BC. The length of its less secure marshy side is naturally forested and guarded at either end by two medieval tower houses, Bouchier's Castle and Black Castle.
Castles
Castle Matrix
Rathkeale
Tel:+353 69 64 284
Castle Matrix is a fifteenth-century tower house stocked with objets d'art and historical documents. Built during the early 1400s by the 7th Earls of Desmond, it was at one time Sir Walter Raleigh and it is said that Raleigh first introduced the potato into Ireland at the Castle. By the early 1800s the castle was being used to manufacture linen and a flour, and by the 1930s it had fallen into disrepair until it was rescued from ruin by Sean O'Driscoll.
Glin Castle
Glin
Limerick-Tarbert Road
The Glin Castle sits on the south banks of the Shannon Estuary and has been home to the Glin knights for 700 years. The white stone castle is set in 400 acres of gardens, farmlands and forests.
Nature Parks
Aughinish-Alumina Nature Trail
Aughinish Island
Askeaton
Located between the Shannon estuary and the River Deel the Aughinish Alumina Nature Trail winds through gentle meadowlands. There are many varieties of plants and wild flowers, wild berries and grasses and you can see wildlife in the wetlands near the estuary and riverbank. An ideal location for those interested in bird watching.
Clare Glens
Near Murroe
Co. Limerick
The Clare Glens is the boundary between the counties Tipperary and Limerick. The Glens are a gorge through which the Clare River flows. There are many waterfalls the Glens are heavily wooded and the looped nature trail.
