New in Limerick - give the good things on the city :)

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 1:06am #1

I'm starting a new job in Shannon and I've decided to live in Limerick. I'm female and 26. I'm moving here from Denmark.
I read a lot of negative things about Limerick, but I have decided to keep an open mind, stay positive, and I don't want any comments on the bad parts of the city.

What is there to do in Limerick? I've never visited it before, not even Ireland! I love music and I enjoy a drink. Where are the good places to go?

Since I don't know anyone in the city would you recommend any social activities in the city, and which?

What do you think of living in Limerick? Tell me all the good things about the city, and all the good and beautiful places I should visit.

Just fill me in on anything, as I'm very open due to the fact that I don't know anybody here.

Thanx very much

bonnieprince · 23-09-2011 1:30am

Born here and lived here most of my life so here goes:

For one the majority of people are very friendly, you can stop anyone and ask for directions or info and they will try and oblige.

Some great pubs for nights out and music: Nancy Blake's of lo and behold Denmark Street, Bourke's and Flannery's on Catherine Street, Dolans Live Music Venue on the Dock Road, Mickey Martins just off Thomas Street, The Wicked Chicken up by Dominick Street to name but a few.

The University of Limerick, some nice walks around campus, easily reached by bicycle or bus.

The Rugby....full stop, also the GAA (indigenous sport) and Limerick FC.

The Crescent Shopping Centre (to avoid the rain)

The local sarcasm, can be hard at first but usually is entertaining if taken with a pinch of salt.

I am sure most of the people on this forum will have much more to add!

Best of luck in Limerick, it really is a great place.

Vanolder · 23-09-2011 1:45am

Liza85 wrote: »

I'm starting a new job in Shannon and I've decided to live in Limerick. I'm female and 26. I'm moving here from Denmark.
I read a lot of negative things about Limerick, but I have decided to keep an open mind, stay positive, and I don't want any comments on the bad parts of the city.

What is there to do in Limerick? I've never visited it before, not even Ireland! I love music and I enjoy a drink. Where are the good places to go?

Since I don't know anyone in the city would you recommend any social activities in the city, and which?

What do you think of living in Limerick? Tell me all the good things about the city, and all the good and beautiful places I should visit.

Just fill me in on anything, as I'm very open due to the fact that I don't know anybody here.

Thanx very much

The one thing Limerick has done well recently is the upgrade of its weekend market. A great way to start your weekend with some great local and European foods on offer.

If you live in the city centre the bell table offers some great world cinema from time to time, or Mary immaculate college has a weekly offering via the French department.

Sporting wise you may want to develop a taste for rugby as unfortunately you probably won't be able to avoid it when Munster/ Ireland are playing. but all other interests and fitness classes can be found

Limerick has some decent bars, from Mickey Martins, the curragower, wicked chicken etc but outside of dolans there isn't much live music.. the curragower has some on Sundays I think. The more popular and larger bars frequented by the masses on weekends provide nothing in relation to original live music, just background noise.

Most of your interests in fact will be catered for , for the most part , but the city centre itself is suffering and at an all time low as most businesses have retreated to the outskirts of the city for various reasons leaving a pretty dead city centre. The city centre itself is relatively safe but there is a visible rise in the number of junkies hanging around the main streets in recent times.

If you want a historical tour of the city, I would be glad to relay my local knowledge.

Good luck with your move and new job.

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 9:19am

Thank you both for the very good and quick replies.

I definitely need to develop a taste for rugby.

Both your replies are very useful, and I'm sure that I won't have problems finding things to do in Limerick

seachto7 · 23-09-2011 10:31am

Visually, it's not the nicest city, let's be straight about it folks, but it's not the worst place either. It's in a good location, West Clare will never be far away. You could take in some rugby if you want to experience that.
What do you usually do in your spare time?
It'll be some shock coming here from a country I would perceive as being "organised".........?

tof2006 · 23-09-2011 10:35am

Welcome to Limerick. Adding my 2 cents to the already very good suggestion

>What is there to do in Limerick?
As stated before, some very nice pubs with cool people ( Mickey Martin, Cobblestone Joe, Wicked, Nancy... )
There is also a quite active art community ( which always surprise me with the size of the city, but there is a good art college in Limerick ) check Occupy Space and the Limerick City Gallery of Art, poetry in the White House ( another nice pub )

>Since I don't know anyone in the city would you recommend any social activities in the city, and which?
You won't have any problem to meet new people.
You might try joining a club: salsa ( in sinbin every thursday ) tango ; tag rugby is a very popular activity during the summer

I would add Limerick is a good central point to visit the west of ireland, you can easily go in Kerry for the week end , or on the clare side ( 1-2 hour drive ), if you're into sea activities, there is Sailing on the Shannon regularly (near foynes ) , surfing in Lahinch...

>>What do you think of living in Limerick?
It's a gran place, very nice people, not too big ( to my taste ), and not too small at the same time.
You may hear some bad press, and unfortunately there is one or 2 bad spots in the city, occupied by let's say "not so nice people", but this is not the vast majority of people you will meet.

Have fun

tof2006 · 23-09-2011 10:39am

Another thing, a car is more than needed or carpool if you can , the bus between Shannon and Limerick is limited and quite constraining ( public transport in Ireland are not at the same standard you may have encountered in Denmark ) , and also though there is plenty to do in the city, there is loads to do around, and a car will help you in that.

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 10:40am

Well looking at pictures of Limerick I can see that it is not as beautiful as Copenhagen but I definitely think it has its charm.

I like going to football matches, watching them, but now I'll have to get into rugby I guess

Living in Copenhagen I just like to use the city, going for walks, drinking coffee with friends, catch a movie or a concert, going out for a drink, shopping. The usual city stuff. I hope that at least a few of those can be done in Limerick, otherwise I need to find myself some new interests

tof2006 · 23-09-2011 10:46am

So to give you more details
-going for walks: yes, there is some nice walks around the Shannon banks , up to UL
-drinking coffee with friends: defo some nice place for coffe, O'connors for example
-catch a movie: the cinema are a bit outside of teh city ( raheen and castletroy ) and the programation is manly hollywod stuff, The Belltable.ie offers sometimes some foreign movies.
- or a concert: see Dolans pub , gigs every week, music everyday, plus pub offer some local band.
- going out for a drink: see the pubs name in the thread
- shopping.: probably less choice than copenhagen, but limerick shop will be happy to take your cash :P

Cheers

yupyup7up · 23-09-2011 10:48am

I agree with all the above about the rugby!

IF you develop a liking for it, then on a Heineken Cup match day, there is fantastic atmosphere around the city.

A lot of the culture here is largely based around sport.

Limerick has some excellent pubs with great atmospheres and everyone is very welcoming!

Tag rugby during the summer/autumn months is a great social activity(you dont even really have to be that interested in it!) and there are smaller events around the city such as live music in pubs like Nancys, Smyths, Cobblestone joes to name a few.

O'Connell's and now Foxy's as well have pub quizzes on monday nights which are always a good laugh!

The Concert Hall in UL has some good sporting/comedy events too from time to time.

Hope you enjoy your time here!

Blazer · 23-09-2011 10:48am

Well if you like football you can start supporting Limerick FC

but Rugby is the main sport in Limerick.

http://www.limerickfc.ie/home/home.html

Welcome to Ireland and to Limerick btw

UL (outside city -3km?) also has concerts so , so far you're looking good for your hobbies.

Raiser · 23-09-2011 10:49am

If you are going to be working in Shannon have you considered Ennis instead?

- It a fantastic Town very close to Shannon and better placed for getting to the beaches of the West coast and it will beat Limerick easily in every category worth mentioning, including personal safety, entertainment, shopping, atmosphere etc.

http://www.visitennis.ie/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennis

Limerick isn't really a great choice for now unfortunately as it has overwhelming social problems compounded by the fact that its largely unpoliced and has been mismanaged by a blundering, incompetent, embarrassing City council for decades, its also in many peoples opinion drab, grim and relatively speaking, unsafe.

RonMexico · 23-09-2011 11:00am

Good things about Limerick - a 26yr old Danish bird just decided to live here :P

Blazer · 23-09-2011 11:05am

Raiser wrote: »

, including personal safety, entertainment, shopping, atmosphere etc.

http://www.visitennis.ie/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ennis

Limerick isn't really a great choice for now unfortunately as it has overwhelming social problems compounded by the fact that its largely unpoliced and has been mismanaged by a blundering, incompetent, embarrassing City council for decades, its also in many peoples opinion drab, grim and relatively speaking, unsafe.

You're talking complete bollix there...just because one or two parts of the city suburbs are dodgy doesn't mean every one's a scumbag.
Sod off to the Clare forum.

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 11:13am

Thank you for all the lovely replies. I'm sure I'll love Limerick. If the people are as nice as I hear I'll be fine.
Every city has its good sides and its bad sides, and if I don't like Limerick I'll just have to move. I'm sure I'll enjoy it. It definitely seems as that there will be plenty to do.

If you are going to be working in Shannon have you considered Ennis instead?

I have looked a bit at Ennis, and it looks very nice. But I'll try Limerick first, and if it's not for me I'll just have to try Ennis

Raiser · 23-09-2011 11:20am

Liza85 wrote: »

I have looked a bit at Ennis, and it looks very nice. But I'll try Limerick first, and if it's not for me I'll just have to try Ennis

You should take your time and do some research/reading - If you do end up in Limerick just act as though you were passing through Christianshavn or Bispebjerg and you'll be fine

LK_Dave · 23-09-2011 11:32am

Congratulations on the new job and welcome to Limerick.

You will find Limerick people easy going and welcoming, our accents can take some time to get tuned into and there are a few different ones city and county. I myself am a county lad but lived in the city for five years while I was studying but that was over 15 years ago and the city has progressed leaps and bounds since then and have great memories and friends from that time. I’m reliability told by my sisters and brothers girlfriends/wives that Limerick is a great place for clothes shopping – I can’t concur maybe some of the ladies on this site can point you in the right direction.
While there are many cultural and sporting activities in the city don’t dismiss the rest of the county. There are some lovely villages and towns – Adare, Ballingarry and Newcastle West. Most towns and villages have their own festival, Newcastle West just had WestFest which was a great success.
Curragh Chase and the Ballyhoura mountains are within easy reach of the city if you want some fresh air. Ballyhoura mountain bike trail is the largest in the country. There are many horse riding clubs all over the county, as well as running and bike clubs. Triathlon is a rapidly growing sport in Ireland and Limerick is no exception.
No matter what activity you take up in Limerick you will not be able to avoid rugby. Just go with the flow and enjoy the craic.

munstergirl · 23-09-2011 1:02pm

You will need a car, bus service in limerick is not good + it rains a lot too.

Limerick friendly, nice river, good pubs, resturants. Limerick may be a city but its a small city more like a town.

Goofy · 23-09-2011 1:04pm

Limerick has a great local music scene at the moment. Loads of bars around town have live music nearly every night of the week now. Bars like the Curragower, Nancy's, Smyths, Jerry Flannery's, the Office and so on. Lots of up and coming local bands mixed in with some very good cover bands too. Dolans Warehouse is the main music venue in the city for the bigger names. Its small and intimate, it holds about 350. I saw Mumford and Sons there earlier in the year. What a gig!!
The market that was mentioned in an earlier post has started to host concerts too. Its much bigger than Dolans so it might attract a few bigger names in the future. Calvin Harris played there last night for Arthurs Day. Im going there tonight for the first time. It is supposed to be a great venue. And then there is the rugby stadium, Thomond Park. It can hold around 25,000 and has had people like Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart and Elton John there in the last few years. Not my cup of tea, but there might be some great gigs there in the future.

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 2:58pm

I will not get a car, I just have to work it out. Either depend on the buses or make some arrangements with someone from work

Especially thanks for all the info on music! That sounds amazing, and I can't wait to discover new Irish bands.

munstergirl · 23-09-2011 3:01pm

You can't depend on buses to get you to work on time, hopefully you'll meet a co worker to give u a lift.

bonnieprince · 23-09-2011 3:48pm

Liza85 wrote: »

Thank you for all the lovely replies. I'm sure I'll love Limerick. If the people are as nice as I hear I'll be fine.
Every city has its good sides and its bad sides, and if I don't like Limerick I'll just have to move. I'm sure I'll enjoy it. It definitely seems as that there will be plenty to do.

If you are going to be working in Shannon have you considered Ennis instead?

I have looked a bit at Ennis, and it looks very nice. But I'll try Limerick first, and if it's not for me I'll just have to try Ennis

Thats a very good plan B!

Vanolder · 23-09-2011 4:33pm

yupyup7up wrote: »

I agree with all the above about the rugby!

IF you develop a liking for it, then on a Heineken Cup match day, there is fantastic atmosphere around the city.

A lot of the culture here is largely based around sport.

Limerick has some excellent pubs with great atmospheres and everyone is very welcoming!

Tag rugby during the summer/autumn months is a great social activity(you dont even really have to be that interested in it!) and there are smaller events around the city such as live music in pubs like Nancys, Smyths, Cobblestone joes to name a few.

O'Connell's and now Foxy's as well have pub quizzes on monday nights which are always a good laugh!

The Concert Hall in UL has some good sporting/comedy events too from time to time.

Hope you enjoy your time here!

What sport is our culture based on exactly? Rugby takes precedent over everything else.

Vanolder · 23-09-2011 4:40pm

Liza85 wrote: »

Well looking at pictures of Limerick I can see that it is not as beautiful as Copenhagen but I definitely think it has its charm.

I like going to football matches, watching them, but now I'll have to get into rugby I guess
Living in Copenhagen I just like to use the city, going for walks, drinking coffee with friends, catch a movie or a concert, going out for a drink, shopping. The usual city stuff. I hope that at least a few of those can be done in Limerick, otherwise I need to find myself some new interests

In relation to sport, if you are staying long term you have to get into our indigenous games (Gaa) Particularly hurling which is the fastest field game in the world. On its day it is simply unbeatable. Unfortunately the season is over as they are primarily summer games.

Insect Overlord · 23-09-2011 4:47pm

Vanolder wrote: »

What sport is our culture based on exactly? Rugby takes precedent over everything else.

There's going to be a lot of interest in the Senior Hurlers over the next few years, if the 2011 Under 21 Championship is anything to go by.

There are soccer clubs all over the city and county, even if Limerick FC aren't getting big numbers at their games.

There's always plenty of runners and cyclists out in all weathers, for their health, for sport or for vanity reasons.

The rugby causes traffic trouble and fills the pubs once or twice a month, but it's not the be all and end all.

zuroph · 23-09-2011 5:20pm

Welcome to the city! I've heard of several new people arriving into the city recently, we should realy organise another beers and get everyone to meet up and say hi!
I'd also recommend the Limerick group over on couchsurfing.org, they are a very friendly bunch and meet up regularily, we should really all try mingle together at some stage!

pappyodaniel · 23-09-2011 5:27pm

I love how you haven't even considered living in Shannon when you'll be working there. You are a very smart lady

I take Limerick over Ennis any day of the week. Though it's not what you might call a thriving or vibrant city, it does have it's own charm and unique character.

Welcome.

kiersm · 23-09-2011 5:50pm

Congrats on the job & the move.

There's a few museums here as well, there's the hunt muesum which is in the centre of town & also the Art Muesum both of these are acceptable by foot once you live in town.

Have you decided where you want to live in Lmk?

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 6:08pm

I've decided that I want to live as central as possible in the city, and hopefully as close to river as possible.

All this positive feedback is definitely making me a lot less nervous about moving

zuroph · 23-09-2011 6:13pm

Liza85 wrote: »

I've decided that I want to live as central as possible in the city, and hopefully as close to river as possible.

All this positive feedback is definitely making me a lot less nervous about moving

Riverpoint are very nice, and have a great view. If you get a car, they'd be very handy for getting on the road to ennis too. Nevertheless, they're quite central.

lockman · 23-09-2011 6:26pm

@Liza85;

Congratulations on the new job. And Failte go Luimneach (welcome to Limerick), a Viking City

As others have mentioned, the people here are (in general) very welcoming, down-to-earth and great fun. Not much more to add there.

I am going to post a link to one of our national newspapers (The Irish Examiner) which very recently wrote about Limerick's food and restaurant scene:

http://www.examiner.ie/weekend/features/limericks-gourmet-gamble-163210.html

Hope you enjoy your time here.

kiersm · 23-09-2011 6:51pm

You can try www.daft.ie if your looking for somewhere & there's a newspaper that is free in Limerick and it normally has loads of places to rent in it some to share & sum on ur own, your choice but they do a digital version, here's the link i hope it works.:)

http://www.limerickpost.ie/

If not the newspaper is called the Limerick post so you can google it.

lockman · 23-09-2011 10:53pm

@Liza85;

Just a follow-up on concerts/music etc. I dont know what type(s) of music you might enjoy. Many other posters have coomented on some of the good music venues like Dolan's etc.

However, maybe you enjoy classical recitals etc also. Two main venues cater for this:
www.uch.ie (the univeristy concert hall) cater for many types of music. For instance, Verdi's La Traviata is coming in November.

St Mary's catherdal (dating back to the 1100's) often have lunchtime classical concerts and also do so in the evenings:
http://www.cathedral.limerick.anglican.org/ (Go to events link on the left hand side of the screen).

Currently there is no cinema directly in the city centre! There are a couple of cinema's in the suburbs catering mainly for standard hollywood blockbusters etc. The belltable (http://www.belltable.ie/) do show arthouse/world cinema films on a regular basis (i think they usually start their programmes around October). And the belltable is in the city centre.

The Hunt museum is a very interesting collection of Irish, European and many other e.g. Greek/Roman historical artifacts: it is a lovely museum and has won a few awards:
http://www.huntmuseum.com/
They also frequently have phtographic/ art exhibitions there.

Limerick City (art) Gallery is also a nice place:http://gallery.limerick.ie/

Liza85 · 23-09-2011 11:03pm

I'm a bit more into rock'n'roll, but I will certainly be open on checking out the classical concerts. It would probably be good for me to broaden my cultural horizon !

The Belltable definitely sounds like a something I would want to check out!
And many thanks on the museum and gallery, they are places that I will look very much forward to see.

I'm postive I'll love Limerick with all the nice and helpful people that seem to live there

zuroph · 23-09-2011 11:13pm

Liza85 wrote: »

I'm a bit more into rock'n'roll, but I will certainly be open on checking out the classical concerts. It would probably be good for me to broaden my cultural horizon !

The Belltable definitely sounds like a something I would want to check out!
And many thanks on the museum and gallery, they are places that I will look very much forward to see.

I'm postive I'll love Limerick with all the nice and helpful people that seem to live there

If you're into rock and roll, we've plenty of that here

Venues keep changing, but there's a lot of good bands, so you'll always find something to go to!

Raiser · 23-09-2011 11:16pm

Last Danish I had was after a nightclub last week - Kept me up all night.....

- Learned my lesson though, no heavy confectionary late at night in future.

seachto7 · 24-09-2011 1:54am

Liza85 wrote: »

Well looking at pictures of Limerick I can see that it is not as beautiful as Copenhagen but I definitely think it has its charm.

I like going to football matches, watching them, but now I'll have to get into rugby I guess
Living in Copenhagen I just like to use the city, going for walks, drinking coffee with friends, catch a movie or a concert, going out for a drink, shopping. The usual city stuff. I hope that at least a few of those can be done in Limerick, otherwise I need to find myself some new interests

uhhhhhhhh, I'll be the first here to actually volunteer to show you around Limerick

:):):):cool::cool::cool::o:o:o
Just let me know!

Amazotheamazing · 24-09-2011 1:53pm

Like others have said, you really need a car if you're going to be working in Shannon. Indeed to make the most of the midwest/Ireland in general, you need a car.

Being realistic, Limerick can't compare with a great city like Copenhagen but there's enough going on to enjoy yourself for a while until you get settled.

Jumpy · 24-09-2011 2:02pm

Liza85 wrote: »

I'm postive I'll love Limerick with all the nice and helpful people that seem to live there

LOL.

We got another one fooled boys.

munstergirl · 24-09-2011 2:25pm

She did ask for only the good things on the city

nobody mentioned cost of living, rugby, pubs, resturants, bus, rent, food, bills, all cost money.

Good points only

Limerick_Lass · 24-09-2011 8:20pm

From what Ive noticed the cost of living has come down in Limerick, was looking at rent prices ect recently and they are cheaper than most cities in Ireland!

After the past year in Vancouver... I will never complain about high cost of living in Limerick ever again!

Welcome to Limerick and its so nice to see how many people here being welcoming and helpful with your enquiries, being positive about our city (although we give out about it so much) its nice to see. Im back in Limerick soon, so if you want someone to show you some of what Limerick has to offer just ask

xxlauraxxox · 25-09-2011 1:55pm

1st of all liza congrats on the new job and welcome to limerick

Limerick is a lovely city and the bus service is not too bad running from shannon
http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=167
You should try www.daft.ie for properties in the city youd like to rent

for to make new friends you could join an evening class in a college in limerick or a gym but im sure ull settle in fine

they have pretty much covered everything for the night life

best of luck with the move and just PM if you need any info or just a friend when you first arrive

japasca · 30-09-2011 12:29am

Hey Liza,
Welcome to limerick!
I've never even met a Danish tourist in Limerick before so its a novelty your actually choosing to move here!
Ive spent a lot of time in Denmark as i work with Maersk traveling to Copenhagen, Esbjerg and Svendborg so you won't find Limerick as pretty as back home.
I've also worked in Shannon before and would recommend you look into purchasing a car. They are much cheaper here than in Denmark so you could get a nice one for 1000 euro that would get you to work on time……
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Opel/Corsa/CHAMPION/201132203811566/advert?channel=CARS
You should also try to live on the Clare side of the river to avoid traffic problems in the morning.
You will enjoy the nightlife in limerick as there are loads of pubs and clubs to choose from on a Friday or Saturday night. Its pretty quiet during the week except for student nights.
The shopping here is also a lot cheaper than in Denmark so enjoy that!

Best of luck with your move!:)

dave 27 · 30-09-2011 11:05am

Welcome to Limerick City!

A few stats on the city;

Although it may be consicered a small city it is the 3rd largest urban centre in the country with roughly 112,000 or so.

Limerick punches above its weight in terms of sporting traditions, you will end up following some sort of sporting club im sure of it!

Limerick has been given the honour of becoming the European Sports Capital for 2011, it is also the sports capital of Ireland and is home to Irelands "sporting campus" in the university of Limerick which is also home to Europes largest all weather sports complex.

While it cannot be compared to Copenhagen in terms of scale it still has a big city feel to it while retaining its charm; born and raised here for 23 years its a fantastic place to live, ignore the bad comments people have to say as you can only judge for yourself what you think of the city.

Hope you like your time here!

tof2006 · 10-10-2011 11:15am

@Liza85
2 websites to give you an idea of all the good things happening in Limerick:
I Love Limerick .com
http://www.ilovelimerick.ie/media/videos/

And :
http://limerick.ie/living/whatson/

Insect Overlord · 10-10-2011 11:18am

tof2006 wrote: »

And :
http://limerick.ie/living/whatson/

I hadn't seen this one before now. Nice to see the weekly poetry readings top of the list. I might try to get into town for that this week.

New in Limerick - give the good things on the city :)

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