The city of Limerickhugs the River Shannon as it broadens out to meet the wider sea waters of theestuary in Mid-West Ireland. Limerick has been broadening its ownhorizons in recent years with rejuvenation projects and a cultural renaissancethat have helped make it a fantastic place to explore the surrounding regionfrom.
Limerick itselfis full of historical and contemporary delights that include welcoming pubs andrestaurants, a lively music and arts scene, castles, splendid Georgianarchitecture and some wonderful walks along the coast and plenty ofopportunities to enjoy the rivers, lakes and sea that surround the city.
Limerick is thefourth largest city in Ireland, anda popular tourist destination, so it is well served by cafes, bars, pubs,restaurants and hotels.
The city centre is divided in three: there’s the historical EnglishTown, complete with atmospheric castle on the southern end of King's Island, IrishTown lining the south bank of the river and the impressive Georgianarchitecture of Newtown Perry, which can easily be distinguished by its griddednetwork of streets.
Historical Limerick
For lovers of history Limerick offers a treasure trove of places to explore. King John’s Castle is a magnificent 13th century showpiece in the centre of town. To best appreciate its imposing walls and towers you should take it all in from the west bank of the River Shannon.
The Hunt Museum is undoubtedly one of Ireland’sfinest housing the finest collection of Bronze Age, Iron Age and medievaltreasures outside of Dublin.
Just over the medieval Thomond Bridge you will find theTreaty Stone which marks the spot where the Treaty of Limerick was signed to end the war between the Jacobites and the supportersof William of Orange.
A short drive out of town will bring you to the beautifulNeolithic sites of Lough Gur and the pretty, historic village of Adare.
Cultural Limerick
As Ireland’s Cityof Culture in 2014 Limerickconfirmed its place at the forefront of the country’s music and arts scenes.Throughout the year Limerick hosts awide range of festivals, so there is always something happening. ev+a (visualarts) takes place from March to May, the LimerickInternational Music Festival (classical) is in late May, Blas (traditional music) is held inJune and July and Cuisle (poetry) inOctober.
Even when a festival isn’t taking place there are temporaryand permanent exhibitions to explore at the excellent Limerick City Gallery of Art of Art andplenty of opportunities to catch traditional music in the city itself or ashort drive away in Milltown Malbay and Doolin,both renowned for their enthusiastic support of Irish music.
Getting away from itall
Limerick is alsoa great base to enjoy boat rides down the Shannon from, to fish from tranquillocations, to make trips out to the exquisitely beautiful shores of Lough Gur or to cruise down the coastand enjoy the spectacular views from the Cliffsof Moher.
With its perfect position in the middle of western Ireland Limerick is a great place to use as aspringboard to this area, but it’s an even better place to come back to timeand time again.
