I think it’s safe to say that many people don’t know much about Limerick City outside of Ireland. Most tourists bypass Limerick for the more famous places like Dublin, Galway, and Kerry. But there are so many reasons to visit Limerick City, as I found once I moved here. So if you’re wondering whether to pay Limerick City a visit on your next trip to Ireland, here are a few things to consider:
1. Location
Limerick is about as central and convenient as it gets. Located right along Ireland’s famous Wild Atlantic Way and less than 30 minutes from Shannon International Airport, it seems like it would be an obvious place to visit. Also, Limerick City is ideally situated right smack in the middle between major tourist spots of Galway/Clare to the north and Kerry/Cork to the south. Why not add a day in Limerick City to your itinerary? You’ll probably be passing by anyway!
2. History
One of Limerick’s most striking features is King John’s Castle, located right in the city centre overlooking the River Shannon. The castle has a fantastic modern visitor centre where you can learn all about how the Vikings settled in Limerick, the Norman invasion in 1173, the building of the castle and it’s role in various battles through Limerick’s history.
Limerick has loads of other historical points of interest, like the Treaty Stone, St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. John’s Cathedral, the Georgian Quarter, and People’s Park.
3. Culture
For a relatively small city, Limerick is a great cultural spot. If you like art museums there is the Hunt Museum and the Limerick City Gallery of Art and also the Limerick Museum for Limerick’s history.
The bestselling 1996 memoir Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt was set right here in Limerick city, and there’s even a Frank McCourt Museum if that’s your kind of thing! It seems that the locals are divided on whether to consider the book a classic that got people talking about Limerick and the struggles of poverty in the 1930s… or if it’s a load of shite that made the city and its residents look bad. Who’s to say really.
In terms of music in Limerick, there’s always something going on. The Locke Bar is known for their traditional music sessions seven nights a week. And then there’s Dolan’s, which is Limerick’s go-to venue for all sorts of gigs to suit all interests.
For performing arts in Limerick City, check out the Lime Tree Theatre, the Belltable Arts Centre, and the University Concert Hall.
4. Sport
When it comes to sports, Limerick is a great place to be! There are two main sports beloved by the people of Limerick city: Hurling and Rugby.
Hurling, as I’ve mentioned in other posts, is an old Irish sport played with a wooden stick called a hurley and a small ball called a sliotar (pronounced like ‘slitter’). It’s a fast, highly skilled, exciting, and high-scoring game. There’s always such a buzz at the matches and most of the time tickets are fairy cheap (before the high-stakes matches get underway toward the end of the summer anyway). And as it turns out, the Limerick county team has been pretty good the last few years. They even won the All-Ireland Championship last year in 2018, which was a big deal and a great source of pride in the city!
And as any rugby fan knows, Limerick is the home of Munster Rugby, with Thomond Park rugby stadium right here in the city. Tickets to Munster matches may be slightly more expensive depending on the match but you’ll get an equally great buzz, especially given that rugby is more of an international sport. There will often be fans who have traveled to Limerick from the UK and Europe see their team go up against Munster. Oh, and you can also buy beer at rugby matches, which is a plus.
Just be warned that Thomond Park is known for the chilly breeze that always seems to be coming through the stadium… probably to do with the way it was designed. So be sure to wear a hat and scarf!
5. Day Trips
Speaking of it’s location, there is so much to see and do in the region, given that Limerick City is surrounded by the greater Co. Limerick, Co. Clare, and Co. Tipperary. If you plan to base yourself in Limerick for a few days, you’ll have no shortage of things to do.
Within 30 minutes you can visit the heritage town of Adare (Co. Limerick), Bunratty Castle (Co. Clare), or the lakeside towns of Killaloe/Ballina (Co. Clare/Co. Tipperary) on beautiful Lough Derg.
Within an hour to an hour and a half you can visit the Clare beach towns of Lahinch, Kilkee, Spanish Point, Doonbeg, and even Ballybunion in Co. Kerry! There’s also the famous Cliffs of Moher (Co. Clare), the Burren (Co. Clare), the Rock of Cashel (Co. Tipperary) and the rest of beautiful rural County Limerick which has loads of great hiking and a greenway for cycling.
6. Shopping
Limerick’s city centre high street, O’Connell Street, and it’s surrounding area offer a decent selection of shops from popular retails chains like Brown Thomas, Penney’s (Primark), and New Look, as well as a host of local small businesses, shops, pubs, cafes, and restaurants.
And if you love to #shoplocal there is the Milk Market, on of Limerick’s best features in my opinion. It’s a permanent circus-like tent set up in the city centre that hosts a fantastic market on Saturdays. It’s a great way to spend a weekend morning: ordering a takeaway coffee at Harper’s Coffee House, grabbing a bite to eat at one of the food stalls, and and perusing the other miscellaneous artisan products.
If you’re more of a shopaholic, you can head just south of the city centre, to the Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle. It’s the largest shopping centre in Munster with a great selection of big-name shops, although you won’t find many small businesses there.
7. Street Art
For a relatively small city centre, Limerick has a load of interesting and unique street art pieces scattered around. Personally I love street art and would love to see even more. I think it really brightens up the place and gives the city an edgy vibe.
I think I’ll update later with more examples that I haven’t gotten photos of yet.
8. Authenticity
There’s something different about Limerick that’s hard to put my finger on but I’ve decided it has something to do with authenticity. The people of Limerick have dealt with the city’s bad reputation and have been the butt of the jokes for a long time. But nevertheless they love their city. Despite a lack of booming tourism Limerick is definitely on the upswing. And, I think partly because of the lack of tourism Limerick still feels very authentic.
Visitors to Limerick City won’t feel like they’re they’re getting an over-the-top, commercialized Irish experience. It’s a city of regular people going about their lives without trying to sell you tacky souvenirs, woolly jumpers, or overpriced pints of Guinness. You’re more likely to be sitting next to a local at the pub than a tourist. So get to chatting and see what kind of stories they have up their sleeves - You might even get a taste of the famous Limerick accent!
For more on Limerick City and the local sense of humour…
I couldn’t end this without a reference to the Rubberbandits, Limerick’s favourite local comedy duo. They made a great Guide to Limerick City, some hilarious prank calls, and wrote a musical masterpiece called ‘Horse Outside.’
But seriously if you do want to know more, check out limerick.ie, a fantastic resource for all things Limerick!
