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Limerick City

Located on the majestic River Shannon, Limerick can justly claim to be Europe’s ‘Riverside City’, with many maritime leisure and sports amenities. This Viking city has a charter older than London’s and features many excellent tourist facilities to suit all age groups.

The capital city of the Shannon Region, Limerick’s convenient location within easy reach of Lough Derg makes it an ideal base from which to explore the whole region. On the other hand, if your main holiday base is on or near the lake, the city is an ideal destination for an enjoyable day’s shopping, exploring or sightseeing. And there are loads of entertainment options also on offer there to suit all ages.

The City is now, more than ever, closely linked to Lough Derg and the overall Shannon River waterway since the introduction of a new navigation system linking Limerick and Killaloe. As a result, it’s now possible for more experienced boating enthusiasts to navigate the River Shannon all the way to Limerick and onwards to the Shannon Estuary – see Navigating from Lough Derg to Limerick for tips on how to do so.

With an impressive span of leisure, sporting, cultural, shopping, dining and entertainment facilities and attractions, Limerick has excellent rail, road and air links.

The city’s colourful and fascinating history is evident everywhere and proudly maintained. Major attractions include the 13th century King John’s Castle, the fabulous Hunt Museum at Custom House and the Georgian House and Garden on Pery Square.

The 12th century St. Marys Cathedral founded by Donal Mor O Brien is another highlight. Opposite the Cathedral is the Old Courthouse where one of the celebrated trials of the 19th Century took place that subsequently formed the subject of Gerald Griffin’s play, ‘The Colleen Bawn’.

Other attractions include Limerick City Gallery of Art and Limerick City Museum.

The University city is an excellent centre for shopping, with a fine mix of leading high street stores, specialty shops and family-run businesses.

There is a vast choice of dining options. These range from excellent restaurants – the City has its own 'Good Food Circle' – and pleasant cafes to many pubs throughout the area serving food. Patrons can expect top-quality traditional Irish and international cuisine, with Indian, Thai, Chinese, Greek, Italian, American and French influences to mention just some.

When it comes to entertainment, there are many choices. Venues such as the Belltable Arts Centre at O’Connell St. in the heart of the city and the University Concert Hall at Plassey offer top-class theatre, concerts, visual arts exhibitions and other shows.

All music and cultural tastes are catered for. The University is home to the Irish Chamber Orchestra and, each year, the orchestra stages the MBNA Shannon International Music Festival  at various venues throughout the city. Some of the country’s top artistes.perform lunch-time, afternoon, evening and candlelight concerts during the festival.

The World Music Centre and Daghda Dance Company are also based at the University of Limerick. The Music Centre stages an annual ‘Blas’ Festival that features the best of Irish and Celtic music.

Dolan’s Warehouse in the City Docklands area provides a variety of entertainment, from rock and traditional music to comedy acts. The Whitehouse Pub on O Connell Street holds regular poetry reading nights.

There are many fine pubs scattered throughout the city, each with its own appeal and atmosphere.

Limerick enjoys a national and international reputation as ‘Ireland’s Sports City’, and the unique atmosphere at its hallowed Thomond Park (currently undergoing redevelopment) and all over the city for rugby games is world-renowned. 

Other spectator sports also flourish, particularly hurling and Gaelic football at the Limerick Gaelic Grounds, and there are many fine leisure amenities on offer to the visitor. These include excellent golf at courses such as Rathbane Golf Club in Crossagalla, just 1.6km (1ml) from the city centre, and the 18-hole championship-standard Limerick County Golf & Country Club at Ballyneety, Co. Limerick, just 8km (5ml) away.

You can also partake of facilities for tennis, squash, horse riding, horse racing (at the nearby prestigious Limerick Racecourse in Greenmount Park near Patrickswell), angling and greyhound racing.

The University of Limerick Arena offers a vast range of indoor and outdoor sports and athletic facilities, including a 50m Olympic-standard swimming pool. Another fine  sports complex in the city is St. Enda’s Sports Complex on the Kilmallock Road.

Each year, Limerick’s outstanding riverside setting is celebrated with the ‘River Fest’ Festival that highlights its maritime links as well as its fine features in areas such as the arts, culture, music, sport and food.

Limeick is also an ideal touring base for exploring the many towns and villages along the hinterland of the River Shannon and nearby Lough Derg. There’s great scenery to be explored too, combining idyllic lake views with imposing mountains such as Slieve Felim on the Limerick-Tipperary border.