Limerick

County of the Republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster; county town Limerick; area 2,690 sq km/1,038 sq mi; population (2002) 175,200. The principal river is the Shannon, and towns include Abbeyfeale, Kilmallock, Newcastle West, and Rathkeale. Limerick is hilly in the southwest (Mullaghreirk Mountains) and in the northeast (Galtee Mountains). The low-lying region in the west is very fertile, and is known as the ‘Golden Vale’. Dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry are reared extensively, and corn, sugar-beet, and potatoes are grown. Lace is also produced.

County Limerick is rich in archaeological remains, with evidence of human habitation dating back to Neolithic times; the most significant sites are on the shores of Lough Gur (Cush and Reevassta ringfort). There are also remains of a large number of strongholds and castles of the kings of Munster, and several significant 12th-century monastic ruins in the county.

Limerick

County town of County Limerick and fourth-largest city in the Republic of Ireland, on the Shannon estuary; population (2002) 87,000. The city is divided into three parts: English Town, which is the old city on King's Island (an island in the Shannon estuary); Irish Town; and Newtown Pery, which now forms the centre of the modern city. Industries include flour milling, tanning, meat products, and brewing. The University of Limerick, 5 km/3 mi north of the city, is a modern campus.

The origins of settlement at Limerick have been traced back to a Danish stronghold in the 9th century. It was retaken by the Irish under Brian Bóruma and later, at the end of the 12th century, occupied by the Anglo-Normans. The city was subject to a number of sieges until the end of the 17th century and changed hands several times. Until the late 17th century Limerick was an important port with trading links with France and Spain.

Features King John's Castle, a fine Norman building, was constructed on King's Island and inaugurated by King John himself in 1210. Barracks were built inside the castle in the 18th century, the castle was restored in 1990 and now houses a museum. The Church of Ireland Cathedral of St Mary on King's Island dates from 1168, and its black oak misericords (15th-century) are the only such examples in Ireland. The cathedral has a fine 12th-century Romanesque doorway. The Catholic Cathedral of St John is in the Gothic Revival style, and has a marble Madonna by the sculptor Benzoni. The Dominican, Redemptorist, Jesuit, Augustinian, and Franciscan churches are among many examples of contemporary church architecture. There are fine Georgian houses in John's Square.

History Originally a Viking settlement, Limerick has had a stormy history. The Irish struggled to take it from the Vikings, eventually gaining control under the leadership of Brian Bóruma, King of Ireland at the end of the 11th century. Walls were built to secure the city, and under Henry II North Munster was split between the Normans and the Irish. Parliamentary legislation also resulted in the division of Limerick into English Town and Irish Town during the 13th and 14th centuries.

After the Battle of the Boyne, those Jacobite supporters who had not surrendered rallied in Limerick under Patrick Sarsfield, a Jacobean army commander, who defended the city against William III and General Ginkel for more than a year. Eventually the Jacobites agreed to the terms of the Treaty of Limerick (3 October 1691), although these were not subsequently ratified by the English parliament. On the Thomond Bridge is a large limestone slab, known as the Treaty Stone, on which the 1691 treaty was reputedly signed.

limerick

Five-line humorous verse, often nonsensical, which first appeared in England in about 1820 and was popularized by English writer Edward Lear. An example is: ‘There was a young lady of Riga, Who rode with a smile on a tiger; They returned from the ride With the lady inside, And the smile on the face of the tiger.’

Limerick

Township in southeastern Pennsylvania, 11 km/7 mi southeast of Pottstown; population (1990 est) 6,700. It is the site of a nuclear power plant, on the east bank of the Schuylkill River, in operation since 1985.