Things to see and do in Limerick

Often thought of as the place of origin of the poetic form, Limerick is a city of the County Limerick, Munster province, in the Midwestern portion of Ireland. It is the home to 91,000 citizens and lies on the boundaries of the River Shannon. The City of Limerick, which is about 15 minutes away from the Shannon Airport is becoming more and more popular among tourists as their favorite destination. Because of this growing number of visitors, the local government of Limerick has thought of sending out tourist guides that would help the first-timers or even the frequent patrons of the city in touring around Limerick easier. These people are known as the Street Ambassadors .

The main attractions of the city include the following:

King John's Castle

This castle is situated on King's Island adjacent to the River Shannon. Most visitors are interested in the medieval parapets, ramparts, fortress and many other features of the castle. It was also believed that Vikings have settled in this castle after finding their remains accidentally during a construction being at the area.

The Jim Kemmy Municipal Museum

Adjacent to King John's Castle is the Jim Kemmy Museum commonly referred to as the Limerick Museum. It showcases interesting information about the city including its formation and history.

St Mary's Cathedral

The St. Mary's Cathedral is devoted to the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is an Anglican cathedral founded in 1111 and became the official cathedral church of the Limerick Diocese. However, Brian Hodkinson says that the King of Thomond, Donal O'Brien, built the present St. Mary's Cathedral on its present location which tells us that the site of the cathedral as we see it today may not have been its original place. Today, it is noted at as among Ireland's most important medieval buildings and has been locally called as the Limerick Cathedral.

The Hunt Museum

This museum contains displays from the personal donations of the Hunt family collections. In 1997 it was moved from its former location at the University of Limerick to its new home, the 18th century custom house by the river Shannon. The Hunt Museum has various displays from the pre-dynastic Egypt antiques up until the Ireland's own archaeological contributions to the 20th century fine art. Display samples include a painting by Picasso, 800 A.D. Antrim cross, and a horse credited to Leonardo Da Vinci. These collections are considered as important medieval collections.