Limerick ( Luamanach )

Limerick comes from the Irish word Luamanach - an area covered with cloaks, referring to cloaks, which were said to have been seen floating on the River Shannon after a battle. The majority of the county of Limerick is taken over by a limestone plain known as Golden Vale. The renowned Ardagh Chalice was found in West Limerick in a ring fort. The number of Castles in Limerick exceeds any other county in Ireland. RTE's new radio station Lyric FM is based in County Limerick.

County Limerick boasts a vibrant bustling city and a charming rural environment.

Limerick city has an interesting, colourful history and its castles, ancient walls and museums bear witness to this. Limerick's City Charter is older than that of London's and in 1997 the city celebrated the 800th anniversary of its signing.

The city has undergone a facelift in recent years and is now an excellent centre for shopping, dining, and entertainment.

Limerick is also considered the sporting capital of Ireland because of its passionate devotion to rugby and its excellent sports facilities.

The surrounding countryside is dotted with picturesque towns and villages like Castleconnell on the banks of the Shannon and Adare with its old world thatched cottages and medieval churches.

Activities like horse-riding, golf, game and coarse angling are readily available.

Limerick City is magnificently sited on one of Europe's finest rivers, the River Shannon. One can only imagine the 9th century scenes, when fleets of Viking vessels sailed up the river to plunder and terrorise the monastic midlands. In later centuries these Norsemen settled and founded the trading port of Limerick.

To-day Limerick is a proud, progressive and thriving City with a charter older than that of London. Its castles, ancient walls and museums are testament to its dramatic past. Particularly worth viewing is Limerick's Emblem 'the Treaty Stone" and King John's Castle in its Heritage precinct as well as the magnificent The Hunt Museum in Limerick's Custom House. This museum houses an internationally important collection of some 2,000 original works including pieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Renoir and Picasso.

Limerick City is the Capital of the Shannon Region and is an excellent centre for shopping. It is also rapidly building a reputation for dining and the City has its own 'Good Food Circle' of restaurants. The City is also considered to be the sporting capital of Ireland with excellent facilities and passionate followers of all sporting activities. Limerick is an excellent holiday base, is just 30 minutes from Shannon International Airport, and less than 20 minutes from attractions such as world-famous Bunratty Castle and Folk Park.

County Limerick is a place of quiet beauty and rural charm. Its gentle undulating landscape is pleasing to the eye from rural mountains of Ballyhoura, the beautiful Golden Vale in the east of the County through to the tidal estuary of the River Shannon. A particular feature of the county is its range of attractive towns like beautiful Castleconnell by the Shannon, Killmallock and its rich history or Adare - which is possibly Ireland's prettiest village - with its old world thatched cottages and mediaeval churches.

Co. Limerick has a whole range of visitor attractions that are well worth exploring. Attractions include the Adare Heritage Centre on Adare's pretty main street; Croom Mills Waterwheel and Heritage Centre, the Foynes Flying Boat Museum - once the centre of the aviation world where Irish coffee was invented; Celtic Park and Gardens; Curraghchase Forest Park and Lough Gur, habitat of Neolithic Man and one of Ireland's most important archaeological sites.

 The 1800s, among other things saw the construction of St. John's Cathedral(1856) which took over 3 years to complete. Originally built in gothic style, it has a dramatic spire which was constructed in 1883. Throughout the late 1800s and much of the early and middle 20th century, Limerick went through some difficult periods, times which have been described so famously in Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. However, the opening of the University of Limerick, the first university established since the independence, marked a change in the fortunes of Limerick. Many multinational companies were attracted to the city with Dell Computers being the biggest, today employing thousands of people from the city and county.

The Limerick of the 21st century is a busy and progressive city which is also a seat of learning, housing the 8000 students of the University of Limerick. It is a city of contrasts in that it has a Medieval core and an intriguing history and yet is also a thriving commercial and tourist centre.


The Limerick City Gallery of Art: Features a permanent collection of 18th-20th century Irish Art. An extensive temporary exhibition programme of over 40 exhibitions a year. Open all year.

Lough Gur Stone Age Centre: This is the most important Stone Age site in Ireland. The visitor centre, on its lakeside site, contains a display and audio-visual show presenting the site's history. The archaeology of the area provides evidence of the activities of the first farmers in the region. Open:1 May- 30 Sept.

King John's Castle, Located on King's Island, a visit guides the visitor from pre-Norman times to the present day. The excavated, early defences and house sites of pre-Norman Limerick are presented in situ and are graphically interpreted for the visitor. The massive gate house, battlements and corner towers await exploration, while the war machines lie silent in the courtyard. The state-of-the-art interpretation shows how this magnificent castle operated as a centre of royal authority and defence. Open daily, April to October, and Sundays from November to March.

deValera Museum & Bruree Heritage Centre, Bruree. Famous as the place in which Eamon de Valera spent his boyhood. Academic, freedom-fighter, politician, statesman and one of the outstanding figures in 20th century Ireland, deValera lived here from the age of two and a half years. The Museum and Heritage Centre uses audio-visuals, graphic panels, set pieces and displays of personal memorabilia to tell the story of the village's greatest son and of the area credited with forming his character. Open all year.

The Hunt Museum: Home to one of Ireland's greatest private collections of art and antiquities. The collection reflects our Celtic past as well as masterpieces by Da Vinci, Yeats and Renoir. Open: All Year

HOSPITALS

ESTATE AGENTS

Chesser Auctioneers Ltd
2 Cecil Street
Limerick
Phone : (061) 419799
Fax : (061) 412302
E-Mail : info@chesser.ie

Mitchell, E.J. & Sons
Upper Main Street
Hospital
Co. Limerick
Phone : (061) 383133
Fax : (061) 383333
E-Mail : mitchauct@eircom.net
Website : http://www.ejmitchell.com

Rooney Auctioneers (Limerick) Ltd
99 O`Connell Street
Limerick
Phone : (061) 413511
Fax : (061) 415363
E-Mail : info@rooneyauctioneers.com
Website : http://www.rooneyauctioneers.com

THINGS TO DO

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