Ireland (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Fionn Davenport [277]
Orientation
Limerick straddles the Shannon’s broadening tidal stream, where the river swings west to join the Shannon Estuary. The city has a clearly defined grid of main streets. The central thoroughfare runs roughly north to south, changing names from Rutland St in the north to Patrick St, O’Connell St, the Crescent and Quinlan St, and finally exiting south along O’Connell Ave onto the Cork and Killarney roads. The main places of interest are clustered to the north on King’s Island (the oldest part of Limerick and once part of Englishtown); to the south around the Crescent and Pery Sq (the city’s noteworthy Georgian area); and along the riverbanks. The joint train and bus station lies southeast, off Parnell St.
Traffic is often coagulated. A welcome new bypass south of town will join the N7 (itself being improved), N18, N20 and N24.
Information
BOOKSHOPS
Celtic Bookshop ( 061-401 155; 2 Rutland St) A fine addition to the local scene with books on local and Irish topics.
Eason ( 061-419 588; 9 O’Connell St) Good place for magazines, fiction and guidebooks.
O’Mahony’s ( 061-418 155; 120 O’Connell St) Ireland’s largest independent bookshop has occupied these premises for over 100 years, with an excellent selection of books of local and regional interest.
INTERNET ACCESS
Check at the tourist office for new access points. There’s also internet access at Limerick City Library, right.
Limerick Online (LOL; William St; per 30min €1; 8am-8pm) Cheap calls and internet.
LAUNDRY
Launderette ( 061-315 345; Thomas St; per load €12; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat)
LEFT LUGGAGE
Limerick Train Station ( 061-217 331; Colbert Station, Parnell St; per item 24hr €3; 8am-6pm & 6.30-8.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-6pm Sat & Sun)
LIBRARIES
Limerick City Library ( 061-407 501; The Granary, Michael St; 10am-5.30pm Mon & Tue, to 8pm Wed-Fri, to 1pm Sat)
MEDICAL SERVICES
Both of the following hospitals have accident and emergency departments:
Midwestern Regional Hospital ( 061-482 219, 061-482 338; Dooradoyle)
St John’s Hospital ( 061-415 822; St John’s Sq)
MONEY
ATMs are common. Both of these banks also have bureaux de change.
AIB Bank ( 061-414 388; 106/108 O’Connell St)
Ulster Bank ( 061-410 200; 95 O’Connell St)
POST
Main Post Office ( 061-316 777; Lower Cecil St)
TOILETS
Toilets (Arthur’s Quay; admission €0.20)
TOURIST INFORMATION
Limerick Tourist Office ( 061-317 522; www.shannonregiontourism.ie; Arthurs Quay; 9.30am-1pm & 2-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-1pm Sat) A large, impressive facility with amazingly helpful staff; open longer hours in summer. Ask here about Angela’s Ashes tours. Also look around town for red-clad ‘street ambassadors’ offering advice and info.
Dangers & Annoyances
Reputation and the unfortunate nickname ‘Stab City’ aside, central Limerick is not any less safe than other urban Irish areas. Keep alert at night and you should be fine.
Sights
The streets of Limerick’s centre are lined with stark, plain-fronted Georgian facades – city hallmarks that augment its hardscrabble aura. It’s as if even a frilly mullion might have been beyond the budget. Even today, trees and other urban amenities are few in town.
KING JOHN’S CASTLE
The massive curtain walls and towers of Limerick’s showpiece castle ( 061-360 788; www.shannonheritage.com; Nicholas St; adult/child €9.50/5.50; 10am-5pm Mon-Fri, till 5.30pm Sat & Sun, last admission 1hr before closing) are best viewed from the west bank of the River Shannon. The castle was built by King John of England between 1200 and 1212 on the site of an earlier fortification. It served as the military and administrative centre of the rich Shannon region.
Inside there are recreations of brutal medieval weapons like the trebuchet, as well as excavated Viking sites, reconstructed Norman features and other artefacts. Walk the walls and pretend you’re carrying a bucket of boiling oil.
Across