Canadian article on Limerick

Amazotheamazing

Irish city steeped in culture and history


Search for ancestral roots, grab a pint and head out on an Angela's Ashes tour in Limerick

Steeped in history and rich in tradition, Limerick, Ireland's fourth-largest city, merits a special place on the travel itinerary of any visitor to the country.

With Shannon Airport less than a 30-minute drive away, Limerick is a great base for anyone visiting the southwest part of the country.

The British travel guide Lonely Planet describes Limerick as "boisterously urban," and notes its streets are "rich with tangible links to the past."

The city, which dates back to the to the Vikings who founded a settlement here in 812, has something for everyone -- be they tourists in search of their roots, or those who want to experience the culture and enjoy the atmosphere of an authentic Irish pub or two.

The city core is where you will find King John's Castle. Built in the 13th century, the structure retains many of the pioneering features that made its construction unique for the day. Other points of interest include Peoples' Park, St. Mary's Cathedral, which was built in 1172 by Donal Mor O'Brien, the last King of Munster and formed the ecclesiastical centre of the castle, the Hunt Museum, which houses 2,000 antiques and priceless artworks, and the Treaty Stone, which was signed in October 1691 and marked the end of the war between the Jacobites and William of Orange.

Limerick is also the setting for Frank McCourt's bestseller, Angela's Ashes, the controversial book that described his hellish life growing up during the 1930s and 1940s in the inner-city slums.

"We've moved on since then, but obviously that is how he grew up and he wasn't alone," says Fiona Monaghan, general manager of Failte Ireland West Region.

"But he also may have been a victim of circumstances as well as the times." McCourt's alcoholic father pushed his family into a life of poverty by drinking his wages away at W. J South's pub on Quinlan Street, which is still going strong.

You can go there for a pint of Guinness after finishing your Angela's Ashes Walking Tour, which departs daily from the Limerick Tourist Office.

You can also visit the local of the late actor Richard Harris, a Limerickman, who took exception to McCourt's tales of woe and went public with his disdain in 2000.

At the Charlie St. George on Parnell Street located across from the bus and train station, you will find photo montages of his favourite team -- Munster Rugby -- as well as the Wall of Memories, which pays tribute to Harris.

RUGBY

Limerick and the sport of rugby are inseparable. That is why the city's Thomond Park, home of the Munster Rugby team, is not just a sporting facility to its supporters in Ireland and around the world, it is a virtual shrine.

Thomond Park, which has been in existence since the 19th century, was the setting of one of the team's greatest victories on Oct. 31, 1978 when it became the only Irish side to ever defeat the All Black's of New Zealand. The unprecedented 12-0 upset spawned a stage play by John Breen entitled Alone it Stands and a book by Alan English named Stand Up and Fight: When Munster Beat the All Blacks, both of which were extremely successful.

Rugby fans who take a t our of the facility, which was renovated in 2008 and now holds 26,000, are in for a treat. The tour consists of a visit to an interactive museum that showcases the history and heritage of Munster Rugby as well as the home and away dressing rooms, post-match interview area and the pitch itself. Further information is available at www.thomondpark. ie

- - -

If You Go:

Take a Limerick Pub Crawl: In search of a good pub? During summer months, look for a member of the Street Ambassadors, a band of 12 guides who wear red uniforms and provide advice on the best places to visit, eat, drink and shop. Any time of year you can pick up a copy of the handy Experience Limerick city map and guide at the Limerick Tourist Information Office located on Arthur's Quay.

Or you can just ask the locals. We sought the advice of Limerick native Patricia Sheehan and asked for a list of her favourites. They include Nancy Blake's on Denmark Street, Willie Sexton's on Henry Street, Clohessy's Bar on Howley's Quay (Peter Clohessy or the "Claw" is a former star rugby player and national legend), Smyths Bar on Denmark Street and Dolan's on the Dock Road, which features traditional Irish music.

Rooms For Rent: "In the boon years, there was a lot of development and a lot of good quality hotels built in Limerick," says Monaghan. As a result, there are currently 19 approved hotels in the Limerick City area with a total of 1,911 rooms as well as a host of bed and breakfast and guest house locations close to the downtown core. Visit www.limericktourist.comfor information on rates and availability. Hotels in and around the city centre core include Best Western Perys, situated in the historic Georgian Quarter, Jury's Inn on Lower Mallow Street, the Savoy on Henry Street and the 17-storey Clarion Hotel located on Steamboat Quay.

Day Trips: You can spend two weeks taking various day trips. Points of interest include the village of Adaire, Dromoland Castle in County Clare, the majestic Cliffs of Moher, and a cruise along the River Shannon. The N69 Tour, a scenic drive from Limerick to Kerry, is fantastic and depending on your itinerary can take anywhere from two hours to two to three days to complete. The N69 Tour brochure is available at www.shortbreaksireland. ie

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

RonMexico

Saw that article in the post.

Talk about rose-tinted garbage.

Come to Limerick and grab a cheap room in a variety of our empty hotels, go on a pub crawl and make sure to visit the bar where Richard Harris liked to drink, don't fall over the junkies and beggars strewn outside. Why not visit the Peoples Park where you can enjoy assorted winos heckling all and sundry and experience a real-life mugging Limerick style.

Make sure to take the Angelas Ashes walk and see the areas that Frank McCourt mentioned in his memoir about his poverty stricken life. Along the way see if you can spot how far modern Limerick has come, where poverty stricken now means you can sit on your hole in front of your Plasma Screen TV and laugh at all the working idiots who fund your waster lifestyle.

Better still why not visit the inner city slums of today, and see if you can get out again without having to "donate" your valuables to the friendly locals.

Better still just take a day trip out of Limerick and spend your money elsewhere.

bigpink

I often see tourists walking down the Dock road to Dolans and they look on there faces is like What the hell??For tourists after dark its not a nice walk back to their hotels

RonMexico

People need to get real and start to offer our tourists a genuine service instead of this garbage attempt at making a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Amazotheamazing

RonMexico wrote: »

People need to get real and start to offer our tourists a genuine service instead of this garbage attempt at making a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Not sure what you mean, here's the link to the article on the website of the Vancouver Sun, did the Limerick Post write it?

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Irish+city+steeped+culture+history/3589211/story.html

Feel free to email the Vancouver Sun if you think it's a fake article?

source

A reporter came over and had a look, what he found was a nice place that he really enjoyed being, he wrote an article which was published.

It's not a rose tinted view, he enjoyed the place and wrote about it. Not everyone hates the city. Many visitors enjoy coming here.

RonMexico

I couldn't care who wrote it.

Limerick has never been a mecca for tourists nor will it ever. Yet time and time again people try and market it as such and offer "sights" that are frankly embarassing.

A non-descript dangerous park for example. I wouldn't send a U.S. Marine up there let alone a hapless tourist.

A bar that was popular with Richard Harris. How exciting. Too bad the Harry Potter fans will be too young to see where Dumbledore liked to get pissed.

A pub crawl. Sure where else could you do that. The tourists must be delighted.

Not interested in Rugby or Angelas Ashes. Too bad. We have loads of buses so you can make a quick escape.

Amazotheamazing

foinse wrote: »

A reporter came over and had a look, what he found was a nice place that he really enjoyed being, he wrote an article which was published.

It's not a rose tinted view, he enjoyed the place and wrote about it. Not everyone hates the city. Many visitors enjoy coming here.

Exactly, there's no deeper meaning to it.

RonMexico

What is the name of the reporter?

It reads like a lame PR piece from An Bord Failte.

Amazotheamazing

RonMexico wrote: »

What is the name of the reporter?

It reads like a lame PR piece from An Bord Failte.

Possibly connected with this article from June? Most newspaper tourist writing reads like PR pieces. Same with travel tv shows.

http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/Seeing+island+nation+through+authors+eyes/3175344/story.html

Seeing island nation through authors' eyes

Books Abroad takes well-read travellers on tour of sites that provided literary inspiration

BY JANICE KENNEDY, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE JUNE 19, 2010


Ireland is the most literary place on the planet. Per capita and per square centimetre of geography, the tiny island nation has, over its long history, produced more great essayists, short-story writers, novelists, playwrights and poets -- in two languages, both English and the ancient Irish of the Gaels -- than anywhere else in the world.

Add that fact to Ireland's legendary charm, stunning natural beauty and lively, bustling cities, and you have the winning combination behind Books Abroad's latest initiative: Reading Ireland.

Books Abroad, a two-year-old book club for people who love to travel -- or for travellers who love to read -- compiles a culturally themed book list, hosts discussions of each title and then takes participants on a lavish guided tour of the places that informed the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and feel of each book.

Previous excursions have headed to such spots as Cuba and India. The Irish adventure, which began with book discussions in Ottawa and Toronto starting June 9, culminates in a two-week tour of Ireland in September.

Hosted in both cities by Nicholas Hoare booksellers, Reading Ireland has five books on its agenda:

- The Commitments: A comic, moving novel (and later, film) about families and adolescent life on the tough streets of Dublin's north side, this was the acclaimed 1987 debut by Dublin native and former northside teacher Roddy Doyle.

- Round Ireland with a Fridge: After over-imbibing one night during a visit to Ireland, British comic Tony Hawks woke up to discover that he'd made a bar bet involving himself, a refrigerator and a trip around the circumference of Ireland. The result was an unusual journey -- and a very funny 1998 bestseller.

- Angela's Ashes: The runaway success of 1996, the late Frank Mc-Court's acclaimed memoir detailed his impoverished Limerick childhood in a way that broke readers' hearts as it made them laugh out loud. So successful was it that the city of Limerick now offers Angela's Ashes tours.

- Beyond Belfast: Another modern-day journey through Ireland with tongue firmly in cheek, this collection of travel essays, some of them wildly funny, is subtitled A 560 Mile Walk Across Northern Ireland on Sore Feet. The author is award-winning Calgarybased funnyman Will Ferguson.

- Modern Ireland: This eminently readable history of modern Ireland (1600-1972) by Oxford professor R.F. Foster, one of the most respected of Irish historians, will be the subject of continuing discussion throughout the trip.

The Reading Ireland tour, which is organized by Stratford, Ont.-based Going Places Together, will take participants across the length and breadth of the island, north and south.

They will retrace McCourt's footsteps in Limerick, get a glimpse of what intrigued Ferguson in Ulster, get up close and personal with Doyle's gritty north Dublin streets -- as well as take in the magnificence of the Cliffs of Moher, green landscapes dotted with castle ruins, Yeats country in the wild west, the breathtaking Ring of Kerry and many other classic and beautiful Irish highlights. Book club discussions continue through Sept. 8. Departure from Ottawa for Ireland, via Air Canada, is Sept. 12, with return Sept. 25.

The cost is $5,850 per person (double occupancy) or $6,400 (single), and includes books, airfare, accommodation, 12 breakfasts and seven dinners, professional guides, sightseeing admission fees and transportation throughout. Airfare from Vancouver to Ottawa is additional.

For more information, contact Nicholas Hoare Books (613-562-2665) or Nancy Walsh at Going Places Together (1-866-222-8323) or go to booksabroad.com.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

RonMexico

Thanks. You are probably right.

I still think I have a valid point though. I'm sure that tourists do enjoy their stay here for the most part. However the marketing of Limerick as a tourist destination is a joke. We need to vastly up our game if we want to attract more tourists to Limerick.

Trying to offload The Peoples Park as a tourist attraction is the perfect example of this.

Amazotheamazing

RonMexico wrote: »

Thanks. You are probably right.

I still think I have a valid point though. I'm sure that tourists do enjoy their stay here for the most part. However the marketing of Limerick as a tourist destination is a joke. We need to vastly up our game if we want to attract more tourists to Limerick.

Trying to offload The Peoples Park as a tourist attraction is the perfect example of this.

Of course we do, there's loads of work to be done but that doesn't mean we assume any bit of praise that comes Limerick's way has been written by the Limerick Post.

Interesting to see that Shannon development are trying to get Nicholas street going again.

sleepyman

Have to agree with similar posts here-I've mentioned it before that Limerick is just not a tourist mecca.Rugby & the likes means ****e all to your average american/canadian/european (take out french & the british).
You need things/events to get people in the city as it has a hard tough image that is difficult to shake off.
I saw something about Laura Ryan (from the Limerick Co-ordination office) being congratulated or saying it was great that there was less negative publicity about Limerick.I mean wtf??
Criticism should be taken on board- i think if the powers that be have enough people complaining about something it might spur them into action.things like shabby streets, tacky shopfronts, boarded up buildings need to be tackled- recession or no recession.
I notice that the criticism of Nicholas St(which has been mentioned on boards) has been picked up by the post.Hopefully something will be done with it.

gaf1983

foinse wrote: »

A reporter came over and had a look, what he found was a nice place that he really enjoyed being, he wrote an article which was published.

It's not a rose tinted view, he enjoyed the place and wrote about it. Not everyone hates the city. Many visitors enjoy coming here.

Travel reporters get all expenses paid trips to go and report about destinations, they're nearly always positive.

That's not denying that Limerick does have lots of positive stuff going for it.

Mrmoe

I like the article and has plenty of positives for a change. I don't think it goes overboard in what it says either and is pretty well balanced. It doesn't have the same number of attractions as other cities but what it can offer is a good central location from which one can explore the rest of the mid west such as Tipp, Clare, Limerick county and North Kerry. I suppose if you write anything about Limerick some people will find a way to knock it regardless of it's merits.

Oscar K

RonMexico wrote: »

Saw that article in the post.


Better still why not visit the inner city slums of today, and see if you can get out again without having to "donate" your valuables to the friendly locals.

Ron Mexico, I take it you have been to these 'inner city slums' and have only gotten out by 'donating your valuables to friendly locals'. I doubt it very much! It's people like you who do no favours for Limerick!

Limerick_Lass

Ya I also believe there are people out there who will just knock Limerick no matter what. Every destination can be seen as a travel destination, something to attract tourists. We shouldnt compare ourselves to Galway or Killarney but concentrate on what we do have and what we need to improve ect. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen, but nobody told me about W. Eastings Street and nearby blocks, a street that smells of urine and is stained with blood with blatant drug use. Beggars are everywhere. Every city/town has its faults but people have to stop always looking at the negatives. Thats my view anyway. Limerick has alot to offer visitors and can also be improved.

zuroph

i went to boston. Loved the place, walked through the park which had a lot of junkies, got regularily hassled by beggars, and though i don't follow baseball i went to fenway park and enjoyed a game. Every city has some undesirables, but it doesn't stop tourists from enjoying it. And to say because they're american they can't take enjoyment from a sport they're not used to says more about you than them. Sure limerick could do with more attractions but its making a damn good effort with what it has.

Karmafaerie

I simply think that the reason Ron was so vociferous in his outburst was because when he saw the thread title he jumped to the conclusion that it was going to be a negative article.
When he saw it was positive he was so disappointed that he had to lash out.

Typical of some peoples attitude really.

RonMexico

Fine keep trying to sell Limerick as a tourist destination with a narrow one dimensional approach (Rugby, Pubs) and laughable list of attractions (The Peoples Park, Dumbledores Local) and see how soon the streets are awash with eager tourists.

We can do a lot better than that, but too many people in this country like to pretend everything is grand and accept mediocre standards when they should be aiming far far higher.

zuroph

This wasnt a sell, this was someones report of their trip.

And Ireland is marketed as a drinking holiday everywhere. head down around the tourist places like kerry galway, west clare, what are the tourists up to every evening? filling the pubs. They love it.

The Peoples park is part of a larger area, where tourists can take in the art gallery, and the Georgian house, then a short stroll to the crescent which people will recognise from Angelas ashes, and Souths then for a pint to unwind! Sounds like a good day to me.


tell us ron, what would you have?

Oscar K

RonMexico wrote: »

Fine keep trying to sell Limerick as a tourist destination with a narrow one dimensional approach (Rugby, Pubs) and laughable list of attractions (The Peoples Park, Dumbledores Local) and see how soon the streets are awash with eager tourists.

We can do a lot better than that, but too many people in this country like to pretend everything is grand and accept mediocre standards when they should be aiming far far higher.

"One dimensional". This is coming from the person who tried to label all people in what I can only assume is referring to disadvantaged areas as thieving b*stards living in squaller!! that view isnt at all one dimensional. Limerick is a gorgeous city with great people and yes it has its problems but I'm sorry we all don't come from the land of milk and honey like you.

Insect Overlord

Lads, less of the personal remarks. Attack the posts, not the poster.

RonMexico

Oscar K wrote: »

Ron Mexico, I take it you have been to these 'inner city slums' and have only gotten out by 'donating your valuables to friendly locals'. I doubt it very much! It's people like you who do no favours for Limerick!

Your doubt doesn't make you correct. I'm sure the blind cheerleaders for Limerick and all its glory who ignore our true potential and try to gloss over our many problems in a pathetic attempt to make out that the city is some kind of tourist mecca are acting in our best interests.

Well think again. Until there is a concerted effort to get real and actually offer our tourists genuine attractions and value for money then we will always be lagging behind the rest of the country. There is plenty of potential but unfortunately the gimps who are responsible for marketing the city haven't a bloody clue.

Of course, point this out and you are attacked. Typical shortsighted attitude that has this country ruined.

@Zuroph - Well you are at least thinking of how The Peoples Park could be included in a walking tour that takes in the Georgian House and the Art Gallery. That is precisely what I am talking about. I pointed out in the "Things to do thread" that there should be a "Rugby Pub Crawl" for people interested in that kind of thing. It could incorporate The Rugby Museum and for example Charlie St. Georges and other Rugby Pubs. Have the pubs get involved in the marketing of it. So basically we should be connecting the dots and marketing the city in that manner. Different themed days for example. A history day or tour for example could take in all of the churches, castles etc. Have all the places involved in each tour working together to offer special things to groups etc. Maybe some of this exists already but if it does then the marketing side of things is poor.

zuroph

see I believe quite a bit of that exists, you just never see the marketing because it isnt marketed to you, its marketed to tourists. linking attractions is all well and good, but most people do this already, IE the tourists will do the cathedral and the castle on the same day, as is suggested on the tourist maps. the georgian house, park, crescent and art gallery are all definitely marketed on the tourist maps, but not forcing people into a specific tour allows them to do it at their own pace, which is something tourists to Ireland appreciate, as its the slow pace of life they are looking for. a rugby pub tour could be interesting alright.
Limerick doesnt try to present itself as a tourist mecca. Far from it. But it does have to try win some tourism, and promoting what it has is a step in the right direction. I know many people don't follow rugby, but what its done for promoting Limerick is amazing, its brought in a huge amount of tourists who go home talking of a great weekend in a fun little city, much better than the image of Limerick that other Irish people have been promoting for years.
A few much larger attractions would be nice, but there isnt the money for it at present, and we need to work with what we have.

Personally, I'd love to see a large aquariumworld type place, much large and well stocked than anything we currently have in Ireland. With the Atlantic on our doorstep, a display of some of the creatures would be very interesting to people. Plus the usual sealion shows etc, its would be something original for Ireland anyway.

RonMexico

zuroph wrote: »

see I believe quite a bit of that exists, you just never see the marketing because it isnt marketed to you, its marketed to tourists. linking attractions is all well and good, but most people do this already, IE the tourists will do the cathedral and the castle on the same day, as is suggested on the tourist maps. the georgian house, park, crescent and art gallery are all definitely marketed on the tourist maps, but not forcing people into a specific tour allows them to do it at their own pace, which is something tourists to Ireland appreciate, as its the slow pace of life they are looking for. a rugby pub tour could be interesting alright.
Limerick doesnt try to present itself as a tourist mecca. Far from it. But it does have to try win some tourism, and promoting what it has is a step in the right direction. I know many people don't follow rugby, but what its done for promoting Limerick is amazing, its brought in a huge amount of tourists who go home talking of a great weekend in a fun little city, much better than the image of Limerick that other Irish people have been promoting for years.
A few much larger attractions would be nice, but there isnt the money for it at present, and we need to work with what we have.

Personally, I'd love to see a large aquariumworld type place, much large and well stocked than anything we currently have in Ireland. With the Atlantic on our doorstep, a display of some of the creatures would be very interesting to people. Plus the usual sealion shows etc, its would be something original for Ireland anyway.

I do agree with much of what you say here. The marketing of the city could be vastly improved. The Angelas Ashes Tour for example is very popular with tourists but I do not think it is marketed heavily enough in the right places. (On tripadvisor this is pointed out, saying that it was only mentioned on some obscure website)

The prepaid day tour suggestion is obviously not to everyones taste but I am sure that if it offered exclusives to those that opt for it then it would be a runner. They do this in most tourist destinations. Also the tourist attractions and the city businesses need to work together more.

zing zong

angela's feckin ashes *every* damn time! funny how cowboys and angels never gets a mention hahahaha :pac:

RonMexico

zing zong wrote: »

angela's feckin ashes *every* damn time! funny how cowboys and angels never gets a mention hahahaha :pac:

Yeah I know but Angelas Ashes is an extremely popular book worldwide and the tour gets great reviews.

kilburn

You know we should use what we have and push it big time. Limerick was founded by the Vikings, how come we dont have a Viking exhibition or museum, i know there are a few measly bits in the museum but we could do better. Rebuild a long boat, stick it in one of the empty shopping centres like on bedford row and make it Viking world or something like that, rough idea but could work.
Lonely planet says we are a city well versed in the arts of war, jump on that phrase. Make Nicholas Street the natural extension of the castle, old medieval type shops like in Germany selling Knights gear and old books and parchments. Medieval toys for kids, dudes dressed up in old clothes in the shops. Doesnt take Bill Gates to work these things out.
Do something with the river, put a famine ship on it or get an old Irish Naval ship and stick it at the quays and make it a museum like in London and many other cities. Put massive water jets in the River like in many european cities, Geneva for example.
There is so much that could be done and cost fook all. Riverside City do something with the river then !:mad:

zing zong

kilburn wrote: »

You know we should use what we have and push it big time. Limerick was founded by the Vikings, how come we dont have a Viking exhibition or museum, i know there are a few measly bits in the museum but we could do better. Rebuild a long boat, stick it in one of the empty shopping centres like on bedford row and make it Viking world or something like that, rough idea but could work.
Lonely planet says we are a city well versed in the arts of war, jump on that phrase. Make Nicholas Street the natural extension of the castle, old medieval type shops like in Germany selling Knights gear and old books and parchments. Medieval toys for kids, dudes dressed up in old clothes in the shops. Doesnt take Bill Gates to work these things out.
Do something with the river, put a famine ship on it or get an old Irish Naval ship and stick it at the quays and make it a museum like in London and many other cities. Put massive water jets in the River like in many european cities, Geneva for example.
There is so much that could be done and cost fook all. Riverside City do something with the river then !:mad:

could not agree more! Limerick needs all this, and not even just *now* but this could have been done 20 years ago, and limerick would be a strong tourist area today but the ejits that are in place to do this live in a cave with no foresight initiative or imagination

(though i fear the famine ship idea would be in danger of being filled with miserable looking wax dummies )

Raiser

Great post kill, burn and maim - Limericks main problem is that it currently has nobody worth a sh1te looking out for it.....