About Limerick City

Limerick City, with a population of over 52,539 with another 34,197* living in the suburbs, is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland. It is the regional capital of the Mid-Western Region (population of over 364,028*), which embraces the city of Limerick and the counties of Limerick, Clare and Tipperary. Limerick is a vibrant city with a student population of almost 20,000. The majority attend the world famous University of Limerick and also the Limerick Institute of Technology and Mary Immaculate College. Limerick is known as the Sporting Capital of Ireland. We are proud to be host to the Munster Rugby Team who are based at the famous Thomond Park. The National Training Center located at the University of Limerick welcomes world class athletes on a regular basis. Visitors to Limerick City will certainly have no problems in finding things to see and things to do. The historic nature of Ireland's third largest city, and indeed the beautiful nature of its environs, provide many areas of interest.

A brief taste of what may be found in Limerick City would include:

King John's Castle

King John's Castle, on the south side of Thomond Bridge head, built in 1210 "to dominate the bridge and watch towards Thomond", is one of the finest specimens of fortified Norman architecture in Ireland. The castle is roughly square on plan and its 60 meter frontage along the river is flanked by two massive round towers, each over 15m. in diameter with walls 3m. thick. The tower nearest the Bridge, the first portion of the castle to be erected, still bears the scars of the besieging cannon of 1691. Eastwards of this tower in the north wall, is the castle gate entrance - a tall, narrow gateway between two tall, round towers. There is another massive round tower at the north east corner of the fortification, but the east wall and the square tower defending the south-east corner of the castle, and on which cannons were mounted, is long demolished. On the three land sides, the castle was protected by a deep, broad moat, fed with water from the Shannon. Only the narrow drawbridge to the castle gate gave admittance. There was a military barracks erected within the walls in 1751, some of which still remains. Houses were also erected in the castle yard at a very much later date. The walls and towers still remaining of the castle are in reasonably good state of preservation, and work is continuing to improve their conditions. Some of the rooms in the tower blocks are being brough back into use.

St. Mary's Cathedral

At the junction of Nicholas Street and Bridge Street stands St. Mary's Cathedral, the ecclesiastical centre of the fortress for hundreds of years. The full title of this Cathedral is the "Cathedral and Parochial Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary". It was built in 1172 by Donal Mor O'Brien, the last King of Munster. The original plan of the church was in the form of a Latin cross. Additions were made to the Cathedral, two centuries later, during the episcopate of Stephen Wall, Bishop of Limerick. At the time of the religious revolt of the sixteenth century, the Cathedral passed out of Catholic hands. Catholic worship was restored, however, during the Confederate Wars and the short ill-fated reign of James II. Tourists will find excellent documentation of historical remains within the ancient Cathedral itself. Most noteworthy relics of the past are the ancient altar stone used when Mass was celebrated in the Cathedral, and the splendidly carved misericords in the choir. These miserichords are unique in Ireland as the only surviving pre-Elizabethan carvings, and probably date from 1480 when Bishop Folan restored St. Mary's. Of the 21 carvings, 16 are different, representing such mediaeval emblems as a two-legged one-horned goat, a griffin, a sphinx, a wild boar, an angel, a head resembling Henry IV, a dragon biting its tail, antelopes with intertwined necks, a swan, an eagle, the Lion of Judah with a dragon, and a cockatrice holding its tail.

The Treaty Stone

Limerick City's most famous monument, the Treaty Stone gets its name from the tradition that The Treaty of Limerick, 03 October 1691, was signed on the stone itself. This tradition dates back at least to 1797, when John Harden of Cork mentions it in his diary, and Dr. Young, Bishop of Limerick, born in the city in 1746, so described it to Dr. Milner, Vicar Apostolic of London, in 1808. The stone, a block of limestone, stood outside the Black Bull public house in Thomondgate, where it was used as a step for mounting horses. In this position it was attacked by souvenir hunters, and to prevent this, a subscription was begun in 1863, which resulted in its erection onto a pedestal opposite its former position , in 1865. The Treaty Stone bears little resemblance to its former shape, in fact it is little more than half its original size; the missing parts are dispersed all over the United States and Canada in tiny chips. The stone was moved once again in 198?, the proximity to the corner of Thomond Bridge and the busy traffic from High Road, raising fears that the stone and pedestal may have caused the road to collapse and cave in. The stone and pedestal were moved only ?? metres and are still located in Clancy's Strand, within walking distance of Thomond Bridge. For further information on what to do and see when in Limerick, contact the Tourist Information Centre, located in Arthurs Quay in the City Centre. The centre is open all year round and is the ideal starting point for visitors to our city.