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Limerick (Irish: Luimneach) is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the province of Munster, in the midwest of the Republic of Ireland. The city lies on the River Shannon, with three main crossing points near the city centre. The population of Limerick including suburbs and environs is 93,321 while the official population of the city itself according to the City Boundary Laws is 54,023 (CSO, 2002). Limerick is at the centre of the Mid-West region which contributes 8.224 billion euro (2002) towards Irish GDP. Limerick (including suburbs) is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the fifth largest settlement on the island of Ireland.

History

The city dates from at least the Viking settlement in 812, but history suggests the presence of earlier settlements in the area. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral. During the civil wars of the 17th century, the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and twice by the Williamites in the 1690s. Limerick grew rich through trade in the late 18th century, but the Act of Union in 1800, and the famine caused a crippling economic decline broken only by the so-called Celtic Tiger in the 1990s. The Waterford and Limerick Railway linked the city to the Dublin-Cork main line in 1848 and to Waterford in 1853. The opening of a number of secondary railways in the 1850's and 1860's developed Limerick as a regional centre of communications.

Climate

Climate Table
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average daily maximum temperature (°C) 11 11 13 15 18 20 23 23 19 17 12 11 16.1
Average daily minimum temperature (°C) -4 -1 0 3 6 8 11 9 8 5 2 1 3.3
Mean total rainfall (mm) 100 70 70 60 60 60 60 80 80 90 90 100 920
Source: Yahoo! Weather

Governance

Limerick City Council has responsibility for certain local services such as sanitation, planning and development, libraries, collection of motor taxation, local roads and social housing. The City Council comprises elected ward councillors (formerly termed Aldermen) with an appointed (full time) CEO as City Manager. The councillors annually elect a Mayor to chair the council and represent the City. As of 2005 the current Mayor is Councillor Diarmuid Scully; previous Mayors include TDs Donagh O'Malley, Stephen Coughlan, Michael Lipper, Jim Kemmy and Jan O'Sullivan.*

Despite the rapid growth of the city environs, the city borders have not been changed since the 1960's. A large proportion of what is considered as the population of Limerick City now live in suburbs built after the 1960's and are thus in the Limerick County Council administrative area. These include much of Caherdavin, Dooradoyle, Castletroy — including the University, Gouldavoher, and Raheen. There are political demands from City Councillors for a redrawing of the boundary *.

For national Dáil elections Limerick city is included in Limerick East constituency which elects five members on a proportional representation system. For European parliament elections Limerick is included in the South Ireland constituency which elects three representatives.

Between April 15 1919 and April 27 1919 the city faced a not unsuccessful period of self-rule which was called the Limerick Soviet.

Architecture

The city centre is divided between the traditional areas of "English Town" on the south end of Kings Island, which includes the castle, "Irish Town" which includes the older streets on the south bank, and the current economic centre called "Newtown Perry". Newtown Perry was built in the late 18th century before the Act of Union and, unusually for an Irish city and unique in Limerick itself, this area is laid out on a grid plan. The suburban regions, where the majority of the population now live, have grown out from the center along the main roads to Ennis (North Circular and Ennis Road areas/Caherdavin), Dublin (Castletroy and the University) and Cork (Ballinacurra/Dooradoyle/Raheen). Suburban houses are generally two floor semi-detached homes for single families. These were built from the 1960s onwards in large estates by government projects and commercial developments, although there are many examples of Edwardian and older 1930s suburban homes on the main suburban thoroughfares leading towards the city (North & South Circular, Ballinacurra Road, O'Connell Avenue).

Much Georgian architecture was evident in the city from about the 1800s onwards. Although some has since been demolished, much of the Newtown Perry area is built in the Georgian fashion. Other architectural buildings of note in the city are King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral in English Town and St John's Cathedral, designed by the notable Victorian architect, P.C Hardwick (1822-1892). St Mary's Cathedral, at over 800 years old, is one of the oldest in Ireland. St John's Cathedral, whilst more modern, has one of the tallest steeples.

One of Ireland's most celebrated museums, the Hunt Museum, is based in the historic 18th-century former Custom House. The museum was established to house an internationally important collection of approximately 2000 works of art and antiquities formed by John and Gertrude Hunt during their lifetimes. On display are the 9th century Antrim Cross, a sketch by Picasso and a bronze sculpture of a horse, said to be from a design by Leonardo da Vinci.

Transport

Local public transport is provided by Bus Éireann, Ireland's national bus operator. City Service Routes are as follows (frequencies shown in brackets, in minutes):
  • 301 City Centre to Shannon Banks or Westbury (301A) (30mins)
  • 302 City Centre to Caherdavin (20)
  • 303 (Carew Park to Ballynanty (30)
  • 304 City Centre to Raheen (Services via Greenfields operate as 304A) (10)
  • 305 (Lynwood to Coonagh Roundabvout (30–60)
  • 306 Craeval Park to O'Malley Park (30)
  • 308 City Centre to University (Services via Pennywell operate as 308A) (15)
  • 309 Pineview to St. Mary's Park (60), 312 City Centre to Ballycummin (60).

Buses also run to towns and villages in the county and to Shannon Airport. Intercity and international buses leave from the Bus Éireann bus station adjoining the City's train station. Hourly services to Dublin, Cork and Galway and others; daily to London via ferry services from Rosslare Europort. The Irish Government's Railway Procurement Agency has suggested that a tram system should be built in the city *.

Iarnród Éireann's Colbert station is the terminus for frequent services to Dublin and Cork (serving many intermediate stations), a frequent all-day commuter service to Ennis, as well as a three-times daily service to Waterford and stations in County Tipperary. Services to and from Nenagh on the Ballybrophy line will be expanded to include commuter service from 2007. There are also plans to reopen the Western Railway Corridor to Galway and Sligo, closed in the 1970's. In February 2006 it was announced that regular services between Limerick and Galway will be restored in 2007 *. There are also plans to reopen Sixmilebridge station shortly after.

Shannon International Airport, 20 km west of the city in County Clare, has scheduled flights to many European and North American destinations. Airlines using the airport include Ryanair, Aer Lingus and American Airlines. There is currently no rail link to this airport. The Coonagh airfield, a few kilometers north of Caherdavin, provides access for small private aircraft.

Education

Limerick is an important centre of higher education in Ireland after Dublin and Cork, having its own university and several colleges.

The University of Limerick (UL), which is situated about 5 km east of the city centre in the suburb of Castletroy, is an internationally renowned centre for Engineering, Information Technology, Materials Science, Sports Science, Humanities and Social Sciences and Music. The Irish World Music Centre specialises in traditional music and dance, and UL is host to the Irish Chamber Orchestra. It has a student population of over 12,000.

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT), based about 3 km north-west of the city centre, is an important centre for business, engineering, information technology, Humanities and science education. It also has a broad range of art and design courses, offered at Limerick School of Art and Design – its Clare Street campus (near the city centre). It has a student population of C. 6,500 students

Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, linked to the University of Limerick, is an education and arts college situated just south-west of the city centre. Thomond College of Education, Limerick was a successful teacher training college (for secondary level) and was integrated into the university in 1991.

Primary and secondary education in the city is organised similarly to the rest of Ireland.

Media and the Arts

Lyric FM, a state-run classical music radio station and part of RTÉ, broadcasts nationally from studios in the city centre. Limerick's local radio station is Live 95FM, broadcasting from 'Radio House', near the waterfront at Steamboat Quay. Limerick's only student radio station, Wired FM, broadcasts on 96.8FM from Mary Immaculate College. Wired FM also has studios in the University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology. Limerick also has an unlicensed radio station, Radio Limerick One, which originally was licensed by the then IRTC. The station lost its licence in 1997 after several breaches. However the station remains on air. The station is noted for being the only one in the mid-west region to survive the storm of December 24 1997.

Several local newspapers are published in the city, including The Limerick Post and The Limerick Leader. A new newspaper, the Limerick Independent, is due to launch on 24 March 2006. The Belltable Arts Center on O'Connell Street is host for local playwriting and drama. Mike Finn's numerous plays have been wildly successful, including Pigtown, set around a century of the city's history, and Shock and Awe, an energetic retelling of Homer's Iliad. The new University Concert Hall provides a large venue for national and international acts to visit the city.

The Limerick City Art Gallery on Pery Square is the city’s chief venue for contemporary art exhibitions. It also is home to a permanent collection of Irish art which shows works from the early 18th to 20th century. Limerick's major contemporary art event is EV+A (Exhibition of Visual+ Art) which invades the city annually, often in bizarre and controversial ways. Established in 1977 EV+A has become one of Ireland's premier annual exhibitions of contemporary art. Selected each year by a new curator, it brings International artworks as well as art by Irish artists to Limerick. The centre of the exhibition is the Limerick City Art Gallery. However, EV+A generally uses numerous other venues throughout the city. Limerick Printmakers Studio and Gallery is a relatively new arts organisations in the city, providing studio facilities to local artists and an exhibition space.

The city has a vibrant music scene, which has produced Limerick bands such as The Cranberries (and guitarist Noel Hogans' MonoBand), Grannies Intentions, Reform, Tuesday Blue, Toucandance, Woodstar, Vesta Varro, Giveamanakick, Tooth, Windings, Roper, 22,The Hitchers and many more. Well known solo artists include Johnny Duhan, Denis Allen & Tommy Drennan. More classically, The Limerick Art Gallery and the Art College cater for painting, sculpture and performance art of all styles. The Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Irish World Music Centre are both based in the University of Limerick. The University has a one-thousand seat state-of-the-art concert hall that frequently hosts visiting performers. Limerick is also home to comedians D'Unbelievables (Pat Shortt & Jon Kenny), Karl Spain and The Rubber bandits. Dolans Warehouse on the Dock Road has 2 venues specialising in live music, both National & International.

The city served as the setting for Frank McCourt's memoir Angela's Ashes and for the film adaptation of the same name. It is also the setting for the contemporary coming-of-age drama, Cowboys & Angels. A limerick is a type of humorous verse of five lines with an AABBA rhyme scheme; however, the poem's connection with the city is obscure.

Economy

Limerick is at the heart of the region dubbed "the Midwest". Also known as the "Shannon Region", this is primarily an economic and social concept. The region encompasses County Limerick, County Clare, North County Tipperary and Northwest County Kerry, with its focal point centred on Limerick and its environs within an eight kilometre (5 mile) radius

The area is possibly the main economic region outside of Dublin and Cork. Its economic success has been driven in part by the University of Limerick, Shannon Airport in Co. Clare and Shannon Development (an economic development agency), whose precursor was SFADCO (Shannon Free Airport Development Company), an economic agency that provided tax incentives to companies locating in the area surrounding Shannon Airport. As of 2006 Shannon Development are mostly concerned with disposing of valuable industrial park properties.

Historically Limerick was an agricultural commodity-driven economy, due its position as the first major port along the River Shannon. The city was one of the main meat processing areas in Ireland, and industry included confectionery and flour production. In line with the changing economic landscape in Ireland, many multinational companies are now based in Limerick. Dell have their main European Manufacturing Facility in Limerick, currently producing 30,000-60,000 units per day for export to the EMEA. This contributes 5.8% of Irish GDP (2002). Analog Devices have their European manufacturing base in Raheen industrial estate, 3 km south-west of the city centre. The site employs more than 1,000 people. Johnson & Johnson also have a large facility to the south-west of the city centre. One of the largest contact lens manafacturing plants in the world is located in Limerick's National Technology Park and is operated by Vistakon.

The service industry is an important employer in the city. The city centre is one of the main shopping areas in the city, with the pedestrianised Cruises Street being one of the main shopping streets. Each side of the city has outlying shopping areas. Just before Raheen is the Crescent Shopping Centre, Caherdavin has a new Jetland Shopping Centre in 2005 beside the old Jetland centre (featuring a 24-hr Dunnes Stores), and Castletroy has the relatively new Castletroy Shopping Centre, with the Parkway Shopping Centre situated closer in to town at the end of the Childers Road. The first two extensive retail parks in the city, the Parkway Retail Park (opened 2002) and Childers Road Retail Park (opened 2005), are located near this shopping centre. A third retail park opened in late 2005 on the Tipperary Road.

In April 2007, Coonagh Cross Shopping Centre will be opened. It will be the biggest shopping centre in the Mid-West region. A city-centre shopping centre of a similar scale (billed in some places as prospectively the biggest in Munster) is also planned. The Opera Centre would be located parallel to Rutland and Patrick Street, from the (Abbey River) quays to Ellen Street.

Crime

Limerick had a lower crime rate in 2005 than the cities of Dublin and Cork. Garda Síochána Annual Report 2005 — Official crime statistics from An Garda Síochána, page 27: Headline offences per 1000 of population 2005

Recent years have seen serious crimes in Limerick being linked with feuds between criminal gangs within certain areas of the city, mainly Moyross, Southill and St. Mary's Park.

Twinned Cities

Limerick is twinned with Quimper in France and Spokane, Washington in the United States. In 2006 it was announced that the city would twin with New York City in the U.S..

Famous Limerick people

References

  1. The History of Limerick City, by Sean Spellissy (1998)

External links

Cities in Ireland | Towns in Limerick | Limerick

Limerick (by) | Limerick (Stadt) | Limerick | Limerick | Limerick (Irlande) | Luimneach | Limerick | Limerick | Limerika | Limerikas | Limerick (stad) | Luimneach | Limerick | Limerick | Лимерик | Limerick | Limerick

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Limerick".

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