Limerick

The Shannon is the longest river in Ireland and one of the cities it passes through is Limerick, in the province of Munster. 93,000 people live in the city and the suburbs and so it is the third largest in the Republic of Ireland. Like many Irish cities it was the Vikings who first made a significant settlement in the area in the ninth century. Later came the Normans in the twelfth century and it was they who built most of the old buildings you can see in Limerick today. These include St Mary's Cathedral, which is one of the oldest in the country and the wonderful King John's Castle. A more modern building is home to one of Ireland's most famous museums, the Hunt Museum. This is a display of more than 2000 pieces of art collected during the lives of John and Gertrude Hunt. You can see works from Picasso to a delightful bronze sculpture of a horse designed by Leonardo da Vinci.

So what do tourists to the city do? Apart from the old buildings and museums, many enjoy the various tours available. There are historic tours, boat tours along the Shannon and now the Angela's Ashes tour. What's this? Well, Angela's Ashes is a very famous book written by a man who grew up in Limerick, Frank McCourt. Although he was born in New York, USA, most of the story takes place in Limerick. He was born in 1930 to Irish parents and was the oldest of seven children. The family moved back to Ireland in 1934 after his little sister, Margaret, died when she was just a few weeks old. A short time after they arrived, his younger twin brothers, Oliver and Eugene, also died. Two more brothers were born in Ireland.

The story describes the city at the time as a difficult place to live. The people were poor and lived in small houses with only some basic facilities. Indeed, in Frank's house there was no toilet and they shared one outside with all the neighbours. Their family was particularly poor because Frank's father could never find work and had a drinking problem. The mother, Angela, and the children were left to survive on their own when the father went to England to find a job. They had no other family who wanted to help them and there was no system of state benefit. Therefore the children had to go out and find wood for the fire and food in any way they could. It was not uncommon for young Frank to steal bread to take home for the family. After many years Frank eventually managed to save enough money to sail back to America and start a new life.

The story describes a very difficult time in Irish history but with a lot of humour. The book won many awards and was even made into a successful film in 1999. This is why so many people come to Limerick to see for themselves the city where this beautiful story is set.