Clearing The Name of Limerick

For those of us living in the northeastern United States, the Republic of Ireland is one of the most accessible destinations in Europe. There are nine flights daily from the New York metropolitan area alone. Ireland’s popularity with Americans could be attributed to the large Irish American population, but I suspect it has something to do with the physical distance. Not surprisingly, most of the flights go to the capital, Dublin. However, I was surprised to learn there are quite a few direct flights to Shannon Airport in western Ireland. Shannon? The closest major city was Limerick, a town of mere 100,000. There can’t be enough demand to support multiple flights a day from New York, right?

King’s Island is the core of historic Limerick.

When I realized we would fly in and out of Shannon, Limerick immediately intrigued me. Although it is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, it was somehow left out of my 624-page Rick Steve’s Ireland guidebook. Limerick has a terrible reputation, and travelers seem to avoid it like a plague. A few years back, Forbes magazine published an article referencing Limerick as the “stab city” and the “murder capital” of Europe. The article claimed there are pipe bombs and shootings nightly. The uproar was immediately and forced the article’s retraction. Forbes organized a conference in Limerick as an indirect apology.

But like all derogatory stereotypes, Limerick's sordid reputation originated from a grain of truth. From 2001 to 2011, Limerick was plagued by crime from two rival gangs: the Keane-Collopy gang and the McCarthy-Dundon gang. Nicknamed the “Limerick feud,” the illicit drug trade fuels the crime spree that coincided with the global financial crisis, which plunged the city into severe economic decline. Limerick’s economic struggle was also memorialized in Frank McCourt's Pulitzer-winning book Angela’s Ashes. The book describes McCourt’s childhood in Limerick’s slum in the 1930s. This image was cemented in people’s consciousness when the book was adapted into a 1999 feature film. Except for the success of Limerick’s local hurling team, many found little to cheer about this downtrodden city.

Brian spent a semester studying at the University College Cork 23 years ago and previously flew in and out of Shannon. When I floated the idea of spending a night in Limerick, he looked puzzled and asked me why. After a long drive from Dingle town, we arrived at the city center just before midnight. Judging from the immediate city blocks around our hotel, the city does not look dissimilar to a typical American city. It was certainly not the “Irish charm” visitors came to Ireland for. Except for a few Irish bars and the Dunnes Stores, this could easily be Springfield or Oklahoma City. Since it was already very late, we went to bed straight away.

We woke up early the next morning to heavy fog. This was our last day in Ireland, so I had come to expect inclement weather by then. Remarkably, the fog started to lift pretty quickly in a matter of an hour. When we finished breakfast, we were greeted with a crisp blue sky, a rarity in Ireland. Our hotel is located a block from O'Connell Street, the main thoroughfare of Limerick named after Ireland’s version of George Washington. Running two blocks inland from the River Shannon, this grand boulevard and much of central Limerick were laid out by architect Davis Ducart in 1765. This grand and spacious district quickly attracts the city’s elites from the old medieval quarter to the north.

O'Connell was lined with grand Georgian townhouses and businesses in the city's heydays. Unfortunately, this architectural uniformity was lost during Limerick’s economic decline. Like in the United States, suburban living became popular after World War II. Much of Georgian architecture in the commercial stretch was burned down, redeveloped, and fell into disrepair. Today’s O’Connell Street is a mismatch of architectural styles. Perhaps this is why this section of Limerick felt very American.

With the Limerick feud in the rearview mirror, Limerick has experienced a renaissance over the past ten years. Civic leaders have been focused on preserving the city’s Georgian heritage. Today’s O’Connell Street is beautified with oversized sidewalks, planting, and street furniture. This part of Limerick appears immaculate, a far cry from the grimy reputation described in Angela’s Ashes. Because it was a Sunday morning, the city appeared all but deserted. One of the most exciting buildings in Limerick recently is the International Rugby Experience building designed by Niall McLaughlin. Conceived as the crown jewel of a reinvigorated Limerick, the building is like a modern fortress. It also cements Limerick as a sport-obsessed city.

Based on my casual observation, Limerick’s rebirth is on the upswing. There seems to be construction on just about every block. While there are occasional architectural triumphs like the Rugby buildings, most are relatively generic. The construction boom appears to concentrate along the riverfront, and they don’t precisely fit into Limerick’s historic ambiance. However, there are numerous bronze statues commemorating historical events or notable locals. From world-famous actors to anonymous dock workers, these memorials gave us an insightful glimpse of Limerick’s contribution to the Irish nation.

We felt fortunate for such lovely weather.

For most visitors, Limerick’s best landmarks are on King’s Island. Located right north of the central business district, the “island” was once the extent of the medieval Lamerick. The city was founded following the Viking invasion and became an administrative center with Norman's arrival in the 12th century. Since then, the island has been referred to as “Englishtown” since the area was reserved for Norman and English settlers. For centuries, the native Irish population could only live in the area to the south where O’Connell Street is.

The separation between the island and the mainland is not particularly pronounced nowadays. A scenic sightseeing route has been developed to take visitors to Limerick‘s most historical landmarks. Right before entering the island is the old Georgian-style Custom House. Also designed by Davis Ducart, the building’s location at the mouth of the tributary signified Limerick’s position as a center of trade. After an extensive renovation, the building has been home to Hunt Museum, Limerick's premier cultural institution. Although we did not have time to visit the exhibits, the plethora of outdoor sculptures are delightful.

The Hunt Museum is housed within the old Custom House.

With the redevelopment of the Irish quarter mentioned earlier, Englishtown went into centuries of decline. By the 20th century, it had become synonymous with urban poverty and squalor. The city decided to redevelop a large chunk of the island into council housing estates. Unfortunately, that meant losing much of Limerick’s medieval architecture. Walking through the island, it became evident that the poverty persisted despite the redevelopment. Wandering the depressing backstreets in Englishtown, I can’t help but imagine that Limerick could have leveraged its medieval heritage toward tourism if the city had decided to renovate instead of wholesale urban renewal.

Fortunately, many of Englishtown’s most famous monuments were spared. Without any doubt, Limerick’s crown jewel is the massive King John’s Castle. Situated on the bank of River Shannon, the castle we see today was built in the early thirteenth century by King John of England. King John was the youngest son of Eleanor of Aquitaine and the younger brother of Richard the Lionheart, both of whom I had a “close encounter” with at the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud last year. King John was appointed Lord of Ireland in 1177 when Richard was still on the throne. He is known as the King of England to speak English since the Norman Conquest.

The castle is designed to protect Limerick from the Gaelic kingdoms to the west. After the whole of Ireland came under Norman/Irish rule, the castle acted as a place to control regional commerce. Unlike many other surviving castles we visited on this trip, Limerick Castle was a proper military castle for medieval warfare. Five sieges on the castle occurred just in the 17th century, which led to the surrender of the English Protestant garrison. The castle was last in action in 1922 during the Irish Civil War. To say this castle is battle-tested would be an understatement.

I am not an expert on Irish castles, but I found King John’s Castle to be the most impressive. It underwent an extensive renovation ten years ago and is now a major tourist attraction. Perhaps this is why the ticket costs €15, which is substantially more expensive than a typical OPW historical site. While I can’t tell you about the interior, the reviews online were glowing. Besides the interactive exhibits, visitors seem to enjoy live demonstrations of medieval games like archery and ring toss (quoits). I certainly wish we had a full day in Limerick.

Besides the castle, the other major landmark in Englishtown is Saint Mary's Cathedral, the oldest building in Limerick still used for its intended purpose. The last King of Munster allegedly founded this church on the grounds of a Viking-era palace. Supposedly, part of the palace is incorporated into the cathedral. Reflecting the turbulent times of the past, the handsome cathedral bears the crenellation details on the roof line. The church was desecrated several times, most notably during the invasion by Oliver Cromwell when it was used as a stable for his army. His forces also removed the stone high altar; many interior decorations were stripped off.

We visited around eleven o’clock, just before Sunday mass. I couldn’t help but notice how few worshippers there were, especially for a city of this size. The cathedral now belongs to the Church of Ireland, in communion with the Anglican church. Although I always knew that the Republic of Ireland is overwhelmingly Catholic, I did not realize that less than five percent of the population belonged to the Church of Ireland. You have to wonder how a grand church like this could be sustained. I have read there was supposed to be a €5 admission charge for visiting tourists, but we did not notice it.

Since we had limited time, we continued our tour of Limerick by crossing River Shannon via Thomond Bridge. At the end of the bridge is a small building called Old Toll House. The tiny house is decorated with exaggerated crenellation and turrets. The architect matched the materials and design language of King John’s Castle. From all the information I read, this little house had never functioned as a toll house. Instead, it is an architectural folly and is still occupied as a residence. My favorite detail on the building is the coat of arms of Limerick. This might be the most adorable home I have seen in Ireland.

Saint Mary's Church, the Roman Catholic church in Englishtown.

For the students of Irish history, Limerick’s most important monument is one of the most unassuming: the Treaty Stone. Situated at the other end of Thomond Bridge, the stone commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Limerick of 1691. This landmark agreement between the French-backed Irish Catholic forces and the Dutch-backed English troops ended the so-called Williamite War in Ireland. Although the war resulted in the defeat of Catholics, this treaty established the religious and property rights of Irish Catholics. Conversely, the agreement also secures the protestant’s claim to the English throne with King William and Queen Mary.

The famous Treaty Stone, on which the Treaty of Limerick was signed.

Unsurprisingly, the respect for the rights of Irish Catholics prescribed in the treaty did not last long. Until the Catholic emancipation in the 18th century, Ireland was ruled by a small Anglican class. The land of Catholic aristocracy was appropriated to Protestant loyalists. The agreement also ended the proxy war between the two continental powers. The Irish regarded the treaty as a vital episode of Ireland’s struggle for independence, so much so that Limerick adopted the Treaty City as its nickname. On this stone (and this spot), the two sides met and put down their signature while the troops gathered on either side of River Shannon. This seemingly unremarkable stone is easy to miss but crucial to Ireland's history.

As we headed along the lovely river promenade, I spotted an intriguing plaque for the Limerick Soviet. I was immediately intrigued. The Limerick Soviet is one of the numerous short-lived “Soviets” at the onset of the Irish Civil War. They emerged as an organic worker movement against British domination. Although they did take inspiration from the Bolshevik movement in Russia, the Irish Soviets were highly localized and never developed into a national political movement. Among them, the Limerick Soviets are the most famous. For two weeks in April 1919, the local trade union organized a general strike and all things British. The revolutionaries organized an independent newspaper, printed their currency, and set the food prices within the city. The two-week-old Limerick Soviet did not significantly impact the trajectory of Irish independence. However, it sparked the imagination of the future generations.

The 1916 Memorial commemorates the Easter Uprising of 1916.

To wrap up our little tour through the Irish history, we stopped at the 1916 Memorial at Sarsfield Bridge. This beautiful monument commemorates the Easter Uprising of 1916, the first armed rebellion of the Irish Revolutionary War. It depicts three local figures who participated in the uprising: Tom Clarke, Edward Daly, and Con Colbert. The latter of the two were among the sixteen rebellion leaders executed by the British. Although much of the uprising took place in Dublin, citizens of nearly all Irish counties mobilized to support the efforts.

As we concluded our morning near Harvey’s Quay, we felt content that we had made the most of our limited time here. Limerick was a delight to visit and seemed like a very livable city, a far cry from the squalid wasteland the media purported it to be. Objectively speaking, Limerick is far from the most photogenic or evocative town in Ireland. But considering its proximity to Shannon Airport, Limerick truly deserves a second look by first-time visitors to Ireland. Few cities condense so much Irish history into a compact area.

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