Limerick is a city and the county seat of County Limerick in the province of Munster, in the midwest of the Republic of Ireland. The city lies on the River Shannon, with three main crossing points near the city centre.
The city dates from at least the Viking settlement in 812, but study suggests the presence of earlier settlements in the area. The Normans redesigned the city in the 12th century and added much of the most notable architecture, such as King John's Castle and St Mary's Cathedral. During the civil wars of the 17th century, the city played a pivotal role, besieged by Oliver Cromwell in 1651 and twice by the Williamites in the 1690s. Limerick grew rich through trade in the late 18th century, but the Act of Union in 1800, and the famine caused a crippling economic decline broken only by the so-called Celtic Tiger in the 1990s.                             Attractions
Limerick city is one of the countrys main tourist destinations, the city is only a 15 minute drive from Shannon International Airport. Currently tourism is growing at a spectacular rate with over 1,000 new beds being opened in the city in 2006 thanks to the opening of 5 new hotels. The city is the first to provide visitors to the city with 'Street Ambassadors', people designated to help others around and make the stay in Limerick more enjoyable.
When in Limerick, there's plenty to keep visitors occupied including King John's Castle (1212), St. Mary's Cathedral, Limerick (1168), Hunt Museum, Tours (Angela's Ashes walking tour of Limerick city, Hop on-Hop off Sightseeing tour of Limerick city, The historical walking tour of Limerick and Boat tours along the River Shannon (*Not all tours are operational year round*), Georgian house and gardens, Treaty Stone, and more in the city centre. University of Limerick is worthy of a visit at term time being a cultural hub in the suburb of Castletroy. Also a visit to Bunratty Castle and folk park, Adare village and the Foynes Flying Boat Museum (all on the outskirts of the city) are must see attractions.

Arts

The Belltable Arts Center on O'Connell Street is host for local playwriting and drama. Mike Finn's numerous plays have been wildly successful, including Pigtown, set around a century of the city's history, and Shock and Awe, an energetic retelling of Homer's Iliad. The new University Concert Hall provides a large venue for national and international acts to visit the city.
The Limerick city Art Gallery on Pery Square is the city’s chief venue for contemporary art exhibitions. It also is home to a permanent collection of Irish art which shows works from the early 18th to 20th century. Limerick's major contemporary art event is EV+A (Exhibition of Visual+ Art) which invades the city annually, often in bizarre and controversial ways. Established in 1977 EV+A has become one of Ireland's premier annual exhibitions of contemporary art. Selected each year by a new curator, it brings International artworks as well as art by Irish artists to Limerick. The centre of the exhibition is the Limerick city Art Gallery. However, EV+A generally uses numerous other venues throughout the city.
Other vibrant Limerick arts groups include Contact Studios (who provide individual studio spaces for visual artists), the Daghdha Dance Company (a contemporary dance company who have adopted a renovated church in John's Square, adjacent to St. John's Cathedral, as a performance space), the Impact Theatre Company (a theatre group based in The Crescent on O'Connell Street) and Limerick Printmakers(who provide printmaking facilities and a venue for exhibitions and events).
The city has a vibrant music scene, which has produced Limerick bands such as The Cranberries (and guitarist Noel Hogans' MonoBand), The Hitchers and many more. Also of note is that world renowned electronic musician Richard D. James (more commonly known as Aphex Twin) was born in Limerick in 1971. More classically, The Limerick Art Gallery and the Art College cater for painting, sculpture and performance art of all styles. The Irish Chamber Orchestra and the Irish World Music Centre are both based in the University of Limerick. The University has a one-thousand seat state-of-the-art concert hall that frequently hosts visiting performers. Limerick is also home to comedians D'Unbelievables (Pat Shortt & Jon Kenny) Karl Spain and The Rubberbandits. Dolans Warehouse on the Dock Road has 2 venues specialising in live music, both National & International.