County Limerick
Irish Place|
name = County Limerick |
gaeilge = Contae Luimnigh|
crest image = LKwik.PNG|
map image = IrelandLimerick.png |
area = 2,686 km² |
county town =
Limerick |
code = LK |
population = 183,863 (including
Limerick City); 131,303 (without Limerick City) |
census yr = 2006 |
province = Munster |
web = www.limerickcoco.ie |}}
County Limerick (
Contae Luimnigh in
Irish) is a county in the
province of Munster, located in the mid-west of
Ireland with
County Clare to the
north,
County Cork to the
south,
County Kerry to the
west and
County Tipperary to the
east. The
River Shannon flows through the city of
Limerick and into the
Atlantic Ocean at the north of the county. Below the city, the waterway is known as the
Shannon Estuary. Because the estuary is shallow, the county's most important port is several kilometres west of Limerick city, at
Foynes.
Newcastle West is the most important county town outside of Limerick city. Other towns mainly lie along the Limerick –
Tralee roads (
N69,
N20) and Limerick –
Cork road (
N21).
Limerick County Council is the administrative entity for the county, the City of Limerick is a distinct administrative region and entity. The
county council has responsibility for certain local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing.
It is thought that man had established himself 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. The arrival of the
Celts around 400 BC brought about the division of the county into petty kingdoms or
tuath.
Christianity came to Limerick in the 5th Century, and resulted in the establishment of important monasteries in Limerick, at Ardpatrick,
Mungret and Kileedy. From this golden age in Ireland of learning and art (5th - 9th Centuries) comes one of Ireland's greatest artefacts, The
Ardagh Chalice, a masterpiece of metalwork, which was found in a west Limerick fort in 1868.
The arrival of the
Vikings in the 9th century brought about the establishment of the city on an island on the
River Shannon in 922. The death of Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Munster in 1194 resulted in the invading
Normans taking control of Limerick, and in 1210, the County of Limerick was formally established. Over time, the Normans became "
more Irish than the Irish themselves" as the saying goes. The
Tudors in England wanted to curb the power of these Gaelicised Norman Rulers and centralise all power in their hands, so they established colonies of English in the county. This caused the leading Limerick Normans, The Geraldines, to revolt against English Rule in 1569. This sparked a savage war in Munster known as the
Desmond Rebellions, during which the province was laid to waste, and the confiscation of the vast estates of the Geraldines.
The county was to be further ravaged by war over the next century. Limerick was not fought over for most of the
Irish Confederate Wars, of 1641-53, being safely behind the front lines of the Catholic
Confederate Ireland. However it became a battleground during the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649-53. The invasion of the forces of
Oliver Cromwell in the 1650s included a twelve month siege of the city by Cromwell's New Model Army led by
Henry Ireton. The city finally surrendered in October 1651. During the
Jacobite-Williamite War (1689-1691) the city was to endure two further sieges, one in 1690 and another in 1691. It was during the 1690 siege that the infamous destruction of the Williamite guns at Ballyneety, near
Pallasgreen was carried out by the heroic defender of Limerick, General
Patrick Sarsfield The
Catholic Irish, comprising the vast majority of the population, had eagerly supported the Jacobite cause, however, the second siege of Limerick resulted in a defeat to the Williamites. Sarsfield managed to force the Williamites to sign the
Treaty of Limerick, the terms of which were satisfactory to the Irish. However the Treaty was subsequently dishonoured by the English and the city became known as the City of the Broken Treaty.
See Also Sieges of Limerick.The 18th and 19th centuries saw a long period of persecution against the Catholic majority, many of who lived in poverty. The Great Famine of the 1840s set in motion mass emigration and a huge decline in Irish as a spoken language in the county. This began to change around the beginning of the 20th century, as changes in law from the British Government enabled the farmers of the county to purchase lands they had previously only held as tenants, paying high rent to absentee landlords.
Limerick saw much fighting during the
War of Independence of 1919 to 1921 particularly in the east of the county. The subsequent
Irish Civil War saw bitter fighting between the newly established
Irish Free State soldiers and IRA "Irregulars", especially in the city. However Limerick, and indeed all of Ireland has overcome the lows of the Civil War to become the prosperous place it is today.
See also: History of Limerick |
Typical East Limerick landscape, rich, green fields, part of the famous Golden Vale. |
County Limerick is the green heartland of
Munster and its Irish name
Luimneach (
the flat area) certainly makes sense when compared with the rest of the province. Especially in the east, the land consist mostly of a fertile limestone plain, which is ringed by mountains on its borders; The Slieve Felims,
The Galtees (Na Gaibhlte) and the Ballyhouras. However it would be wrong to say that the county is a monotonous plain, for the county is dotted with hills and ridges. This eastern part of the county is the heartland of the
Golden Vale, the rich, verdant fields famous for their dairy produce. Towards the west, the aptly named
Mullaghareirk Mountains ("Mullach na Radhairc" in Irish, roughly meaning
mountains of the view) push across the county offering dramatic views east over the county and west into
County Kerry.
Volcanic rock is to be found in numerous areas in the county, at Carrigogunnell, at Knockfierna, and principally at
Pallasgreen/
Kilteely in the east, which has been described as the most compact and for its size one of the most varied and complete
carboniferous volcanic districts in either Britain and Ireland.
County Limerick is drained principally by the Rivers Mulkear, Maigue, Deale and the Feale, which are all tributaries of the
River Shannon. The Shannon Estuary forms the northern boundary of the county, giving Limerick a navigable outlet to the sea, the principal ports being
Limerick and
FoynesSee also : Geography of IrelandRail
Limerick has three operational railway lines passing through it,
* the
Ballybrophy line leading to North Tipperary through
Nenagh and
Roscrea* the
Ennis line through
County Clare (only that station is currently operation)
* the
Limerick Junction line which is the busiest line, connecting Limerick to the
Cork-
Dublin line.
In addition, a line exists to
Foynes but the last revenue service was in
2000.
Bus
The county's regional/national bus hub is located beside
Limerick City
train station.
Air
No commercial airports are situated in County Limerick and the region's needs are serviced from
Shannon Airport in
County Clare, although some in the south of the county may also use
Kerry Airport.
Limerick is widely regarded to be the Irish home of
Rugby which is very popular in the county, but is mostly focused around
Limerick city, which boasts many of Ireland's most celebrated All-Ireland League teams; Garryowen, Shannon, Old Crescent, Young Munster are among the most prominent. Limerick's
Thomond Park is the home of the Munster Rugby team, who enjoy enthusiastic and often fanatical support throughout the county.
In the county, however, it is undoubtedly the
GAA which has the upper hand.
Hurling in particular is strong in east Limerick. The
County Hurling Team, who play in the county colours of green and white, have won the coveted
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship seven times, although, despite good performances, their most recent success was in 1973.
The other
GAA sport of
Gaelic football is more popular in west Limerick. However, the county has not been so successful in the
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, last winning the
Sam Maguire Trophy in 1896. However after many years of being the minnows of football, the Limerick footballers have seen a reversal of fortunes in recent years, and have been enjoying some good results of late.
The city also boasts one of Ireland's two 50m
swimming pools, at The
University of Limerick Sports Arena, as well as one of Ireland's top
basketball teams, the Limerick Lions, whose home is also at the world class facilities on the University Campus.
See Also: Sport in Ireland*
The park in croagh*
Adare*
Clare Glens*
Curraghchase Forest Park*
Foynes Flying Boat Museum
*
Glenstal Abbey*
Lough GurSee
Limerick for tourist attractions in Limerick city.
*
Croagh (croch)
*Limerick (An Luimneach)
*Abbeyfeale (Mainistir na Féile)
*Adare (Áth Dara)
*Askeaton (Eas Géitine)
*Athea (Áth an tSléibhe)
*Athlacca (An tÁth Leacach)
*Ballingarry (Baile An Ghearraí)
*Broadford (Baile An Athaí)
*Bruff (An Brú)
*Cappamore, (An Cheapach Mhór)
*Castleconnell (Caisleán Uí Chonaill)
*Croom (Cromadh)
*Dromcolliher (Drom Collachair)
*Foynes (Faing)
*Garryspillane (Garraí Uí Spealáin)
*Hospital (An tOspidéal)
*Kilmallock (Cill Mocheallóg)
*Kilteely-Dromkeen (Cill Tíle - Drom Caoin)
*Milford(Ath A'Mhuilinn)
*Mountcollins (Chnoc Uí Chóileáin)
*Newcastlewest (An Caisleán Nua Thiar)
*Oola (Na Uibhle)
*Patrickswell (Tobar Phádraig)
*Pallasgreen (Pailís Ghréine)
*Rathkeale (Ráth Caola)''
*
Tuarnafola*
Limerick's Official Tourist Website*
Limerick County Council*
Map of Limerick*
Limerick GAA Website
