LIMERICK

Irish Luimneach (Bare Land) county borough, port, and chief town of County Limerick, Ireland, occupying both banks and King's Island of the River Shannon at the head of its estuary. The Norse, who sacked the early settlement in 812, made it the principal town of their kingdom of Limerick; they were expelled at the end of the 10th century by the Irish hero Brian Boru. From 1106 to 1174 it was the seat of the kings of Thomond, or North Munster. Richard I granted it a charter in 1197. King John (reigned 11991216) granted it to William de Burgh, who founded English Town and erected a strong castle. In the 15th century its fortifications were extended to include Irish Town, and it became one of the strongest fortresses of the kingdom. After an unsuccessful siege by William III, its resistance was ended in 1691 by the treaty of Limerick. In 1609 it had received a charter constituting it a county of a city and also incorporating a society of merchants. Fragments of the old walls remain. Under the Local Government Act of 1888, Limerick became a county borough with a city council. The city is divided into English Town (on King's Island), Irish Town, and Newtown Pery (founded 1769), the first including the ancient nucleus of the city and the last, the principal modern streets. The main stream of the Shannon is crossed by the Thomond and the Sarsfield, or Wellesley, bridges. The Protestant Cathedral of St. Mary was originally built in 114280. The modern Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John is in Early Pointed style. Communication with the Atlantic Ocean is open, while inland navigation is facilitated by a canal. Quays extend on each side of the river, along which lie a graving (dry) dock and a wet dock. Main imports are grain, timber, oil, and coal; exports are chiefly fish and agricultural produce. Industries include flour milling, bacon curing, and milk processing. Limerick is the centre of the Shannon salmon fisheries. The city benefitted from the establishment of the nearby Shannon hydroelectric power station. The National Institute for Higher Education at Limerick, begun in 1972, is part of the National University of Ireland. A teachers' training college, Thomond College of Education, is also at Limerick. Pop. (1981) 60,736. Irish Luimneach county, southwestern Ireland, in the province of Munster, with an area of 1,037 sq mi (2,686 sq km). Its northern boundary, with County Clare, is the River Shannon and its estuary. The River Maigue bisects the county and flows north into the Shannon. On the west the boundary with County Kerry runs through plateaus 1,0002,000 ft high (300600 m). On the east the boundary with Tipperary runs from the Shannon to Slievefelim (1,524 ft ), then across the Golden Vale southward to the Galtee mountains to the summit of Galtymore (3,018 ft ). The southern boundary, with Cork, follows the Ballyhoura Hills, a continuation of the line of the Galtees. Lowland Limerick is mainly a rolling landscape with a variety of glacial drifts diversified by hills, including a number of isolated volcanic hills. The peat bog that formerly covered parts of the lowland has been largely removed, and pastoral farming dominates. The farms are about 5080 ac (2032 ha) in size. There are remains of round towers at Ardpatrick and Dysert, of prehistoric monuments at Lough Gur, and of numerous monasteries in the city of Limerick and elsewhere. A county council meets at Limerick, and there is a county manager; Limerick city is a county borough. The largest town of the west of Ireland, Limerick is a distributing centre for an area far wider than the county, but the county's many villages are mainly shopping centres and have fairs. Much of Limerick lies within the Golden Vale, famed for its rich pastures and dairy products. In many areas almost all the land is under grass and hay, for the main wealth lies in the dairy herds. Pigs are raised, and bacon curing is an old industry of Limerick city. Manufactures include aluminum castings, automotive parts, concrete pipes, and office equipment. Pop. (1981) excluding Limerick county borough, 100,925.