County Limerick

County Limerick (Contae Luimnigh in ) is a in the, located in the mid-west of  with  to the ,  to the ,  to the  and  to the. The flows through the  of  and into the  at the north of the county. Below the city, the is known as the. Because the is shallow, the county's most important  is several kilometres west of, at.

is the most important outside of Limerick city. Other towns mainly lie along the Limerick – roads  and Limerick –  road.

Governance
is the  for the county, the City of Limerick is a distinct administrative  and. The has  for certain  s such as,  and , , ion of  ation,  s and.

History
It is thought that man had established himself in the area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while  remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC. The arrival of the  around 400 BC brought about the division of the county into petty kingdoms or a.

Christianity came to Limerick in the 5th Century, and resulted in the establishment of important monasteries in Limerick, at, and Kileedy. From this golden age in Ireland of learning and art (5th - 9th Centuries) comes one of Ireland's greatest artefacts, The, a masterpiece of metalwork, which was found in a west Limerick fort in 1868.

The arrival of the in the 9th century brought about the establishment of the city on an island on the  in 922. The death of Donal Mór O'Brien, King of Munster in 1194 resulted in the invading taking control of Limerick, and in 1210, the County of Limerick was formally established. Over time, the Normans became "" as the saying goes. The in England wanted to curb the power of these Gaelicised Norman Rulers and centralise all power in their hands, so they established colonies of English in the county. This caused the leading Limerick Normans, The Geraldines, to revolt against English Rule in 1569. This sparked a savage war in Munster known as the, during which the province was laid to waste, and the confiscation of the vast estates of the Geraldines.

The county was to be further ravaged by war over the next century. After the, Limerick city was by Catholic general  in 1642. The county was not fought over for most of the, of 1641-53, being safely behind the front lines of the Catholic. However it became a battleground during the in 1649-53. The invasion of the forces of in the 1650s included a  of the city by Cromwell's New Model Army led by. The city finally surrendered in October 1651. During the (1689-1691) the city was to endure two further sieges,  and. It was during the 1690 siege that the infamous destruction of the Williamite guns at Ballyneety, near was carried out by the heroic defender of Limerick, General  The  Irish, comprising the vast majority of the population, had eagerly supported the Jacobite cause, however, the second siege of Limerick resulted in a defeat to the Williamites. Sarsfield managed to force the Williamites to sign the, the terms of which were satisfactory to the Irish. However the Treaty was subsequently dishonoured by the English and the city became known as the City of the Broken Treaty.

The 18th and 19th centuries saw a long period of persecution against the Catholic majority, many of who lived in poverty. The Great Famine of the 1840s set in motion mass emigration and a huge decline in Irish as a spoken language in the county. This began to change around the beginning of the 20th century, as changes in law from the British Government enabled the farmers of the county to purchase lands they had previously only held as tenants, paying high rent to absentee landlords.

Limerick saw much fighting during the of 1919 to 1921 particularly in the east of the county. The subsequent saw bitter fighting between the newly established  soldiers and IRA "Irregulars", especially in the city (See ). However Limerick, and indeed all of Ireland has overcome the lows of the Civil War to become the prosperous place it is today.


 * See also: 

Geography
County Limerick is the green heartland of and its Irish name Luimneach (the flat area) certainly makes sense when compared with the rest of the province. Especially in the east, the land consist mostly of a fertile limestone plain, which is ringed by mountains on its borders; The Slieve Felims, and the Ballyhouras. However it would be wrong to say that the county is a monotonous plain, for the county is dotted with hills and ridges. This eastern part of the county is the heartland of the, the rich, verdant fields famous for their dairy produce. Towards the west, the aptly named ("Mullach na Radhairc" in Irish, roughly meaning mountains of the view) push across the county offering dramatic views east over the county and west into.

Volcanic rock is to be found in numerous areas in the county, at Carrigogunnell, at Knockfierna, and principally at / in the east, which has been described as the most compact and for its size one of the most varied and complete volcanic districts in either Britain and Ireland.

County Limerick is drained principally by the Rivers Mulkear,, Deale and the , which are all tributaries of the. The Shannon Estuary forms the northern boundary of the county, giving Limerick a navigable outlet to the sea, the principal ports being and


 * See also : 

Rail
Limerick has three operational railway lines passing through it,
 * the line leading to North Tipperary through  and
 * the line through  (only that station is currently operation)
 * the line which is the busiest line, connecting Limerick to the - line.

In addition, a line exists to but the last revenue service was in.

Bus
The county's regional/national bus hub is located beside City.

Air
No commercial airports are situated in County Limerick and the region's needs are serviced from in, although some in the south of the county may also use  and  is also within 1 hour's drive.

Sport
Limerick is widely regarded to be the Irish home of which is very popular in the county, but is mostly focused around, which boasts many of Ireland's most celebrated All-Ireland League teams; Garryowen, Shannon, Old Crescent, Young Munster are among the most prominent. Limerick's is the home of the Munster Rugby team, who enjoy enthusiastic and often fanatical support throughout the county.

Limerick 37 FC play in the FAI First Division, the second tier of Irish football, at the Jackson Park stadium.

In the county, however, it is the (GAA) which has the upper hand. in particular is strong in east, mid and south Limerick. The County Hurling Team, who play in the county colours of green and white, have won the coveted seven times, although, despite good performances, their most recent success was in 1973.

The other GAA sport of is more popular in west Limerick, particularly along the Shannon Estuary west of Askeaton and along the Kerry border. There are also football strongholds in the souteast of the county and on the eastern edges of the city. Although one of the strongest teams in the country during the early years of the GAA, the game in the county was oveshadowed by hurling throughout the 20th century and its last success in the, the Trophy, was in 1896. However, Limerick footballers have seen a reversal of fortunes in recent years and contested successive Munster senior finals in 2003 and 2004.

The city also boasts one of Ireland's two 50m pools, at The  Sports Arena, as well as one of Ireland's top  teams, the Limerick Lions, whose home is also at the world class facilities on the University Campus.


 * See Also: 

Tourist attractions in County Limerick

 * Flying Boat Museum
 * Flying Boat Museum
 * Flying Boat Museum
 * Flying Boat Museum

See for tourist attractions in Limerick city.

Towns and villages

 * (Mainistir na Féile)
 * (Áth Dara)
 * (Ard Pádraig)
 * (Eas Géitine)
 * (Áth an tSléibhe)
 * (An tÁth Leacach)
 * (Baile An Ghearraí)
 * (Baile An Athaí)
 * (An Brú)
 * , (An Cheapach Mhór)
 * (Caisleán Uí Chonaill)
 * (An Chruach)
 * (Cromadh)
 * (Drom Collachair)
 * (Faing)
 * (Garraí Uí Spealáin)
 * (An tOspidéal)
 * (Cill Mocheallóg)
 * (Cill Tíle - Drom Caoin)
 * (An Luimneach)
 * (Chnoc Uí Chóileáin)
 * (An Caisleán Nua Thiar)
 * (Na Uibhle)
 * (Pailís Ghréine)
 * (Tobar Phádraig)
 * (Ráth Caola)
 * (Teampall an Ghleanntáin)
 * (Tuar na Fola}
 * (Tuar na Fola}