A brief History of Limerick...
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, situated in the mid-west of the country, a twenty minute drive from Shannon International Airport. The city is situated on the mouth of the beautiful River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland or Britain. It is home to the University of Limerick (U.L.), one of the most respected universities in Ireland, and has a third level student population of about fourteen thousand among U.L., its sister college Mary Immaculate, and Limerick Institute of Technology.
Limerick has made its contribution to the arts and culture. From Limerick have come many famous and celebrated people, including writers Kate O'Brien and Frank McCourt, film actor Richard Harris, musician and composer Bill Whelan who wrote the music and lyrics for Riverdance, broadcaster Terry Wogan; and the poet Brian Merriman spent the last three years of his life here. It is also home of the Irish Chamber Orchestra and the University Concert Hall, a venue which has held many great concerts over the years. The well known five line humorous limerick poems take their name from this city.
The limerick packs laughs anatomical
In space that is quite economical.
But the good ones I've seen
So seldom are clean
And the clean ones so seldom are comical
Throughout history many distinguished visitors have come to Limerick. Among these are Robert Bruce of Scotland in 1316, Daniel O'Connell and Charles Stuart Parnell in the 19th century, President John F. Kennedy in 1963 and of course Pope John Paul II in 1979, a day which still remains in the hearts of many of the city's population. Less welcome visitors were Oliver Cromwell's son-in-law, Henry Ireton who led a long and devastating siege of the city in 1651, and William of Orange who led another siege in 1691.The Irish Dominican Bishop, Blessed Terence Albert O'Brien O.P ministered in the city during the first siege and was cruelly martyred after it ended.
The Dominican Biblical Centre is situated in part of the city which has long been a centre of learning and culture. In 1840 the Limerick Philosophical Society built premises opposite the Dominican church on Glentworth St. In 1855 the Limerick Literary and Scientific Society established the Athenaeum as a 'Temple of Learning' which brought together in a non-sectarian spirit all groups interested in philosophy, science, culture and art. This building, next door to the Dominican Biblical Centre, has been a centre of education ever since. It is now headquarters for the City Vocational Education Committee which provides educational services to over nine thousand people throughout the city.