Benchmarks are mapping tools which were used throughout the 19th century all over the world. Benchmarks today look like crows feet carved into stone with three prongs extending from a horizontal line. They were originally created as a guide to hold the levelling instrument used by ordnance surveyors. They were placed on permanent structures, usually at the corners of streets in order to accurately calculate the distance between buildings. The height of the benchmark corresponded with the height of nearby benchmarks, all of which were based on a known level in relation to sea level.  They  were also a tool for later surveyors to use when repositioning in the same place in the future.

Where can you find Benchmarks?

Benchmarks were originally carved into stone which was considered to be permanent at the time. In urban areas they were found quite often on the front wall or the corner of a building or on a bridge, as can be seen in the photographs below. In rural areas they were usually found on roadside houses and farm buildings and stone pillars. Though with redevelopments and road changes the majority of these benchmarks are no longer there.

When were Benchmarks created?

The first ordnance survey, and so the first benchmarks date from 1824, were carried out by the military. In the late 19th century newer technologies in ordnance surveying made the benchmarks obsolete so each benchmark that remains today is well over 100 years old and a testament to the engineers of our past.

Benchmarks were used to create historic maps such as this one of Limerick click on the “pan” button to move the map around.

Below you can see six of the benchmarks which have survived the test of time  in Limerick today. Do you know of any others?

1. Old Warehouse on Shannon Street.

Shannon Street

2. Tait’s Clock, Pery Square

Pery Square

3. Georgian Building, Mallow Street

Mallow Street

4. Protestant Girls Orphanage, Henry Street

Henry Street

5. Barrington’s Hospital, George’s Quay

George’s Quay

6. Centre of Baal’s Bridge

Baals Bridge

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About 25 years ago as a 10 year old I found a WW1 medal under water in the salmon weir, river, annacotty. I just saw it shining under water and reached in. I’m trying to track down its rightful owners could you post a picture of it on your site. It belonged to a gunner M Patterson. Seeing as I found it in limerick I hoped it was owned by a limerick man. I know that it is not valuable as there are so many of them in existence but might mean something to one of his descendants.

What we know about the medal owner Michael Patterson:

• It belonged to Michael Patterson 284981 of the Royal Garrison Artillery.
• He was a Gunner.
• He would have been awarded this medal for action in WW1.
• He was born in Ahane, Limerick around November 1882.
• His parents were James and Elizabeth, brothers were Joseph, John, James, Francis.
• He enlisted in at the Citadel, Limerick aged 18 and no months on 26 November 1900,
• His pre war number was 6206.
• He was a a labourer when he enlisted in 1900.
  
• In 1900 he was 5ft 7 1/4 inches, 133 lbs, Complexion fresh, Eyes Grey, Hair brown and the small toes on each foot was overlapping.
• He was listed in the 1901 Census in Jersey and aged 18, with his regiment.
  
• In 1901, his father James  Patterson worked as a Butler in 1901 in Rich Hill, in the Ahane Area, Co. Limerick.
• Michael served at home, in Halifax and Gibraltar before WW1
• His pre war service ended in 1908.
  
• In 1911, he lived with his mother Elizabeth and brother Frank at 3 Raheen, Ballyvarra district, Co. Limerick (near Annacotty).
• He enlisted for service in the First World War on 7 December 1916
• He served overseas during WW1
• He was discharged on 2 May 1919 due to sickness under Para 392(xvi) – No longer physically fir for war service.
• He was also awarded the War Medal and the Victory Medal and also the Silver War Badge
• He died in 1943 in Limerick aged 59

I would like to thank the Limerick Branch Royal British Legion for their help in putting some of the pieces together.

If you have any other information to add or may know the Patterson family, please leave a comment below or email limerickslife@gmail.com lets get this medal home.

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The Memorial Trust was established for the express purpose of remembering and honouring the memory of the five Limerick men who fought with the International Brigade in the Spanish civil war. . These men went to Spain of their own free will to fight for what they believed to be a moral principle.

They were not motivated by money or greed but by their faith in humanity and their love of freedom and democracy. They went to fight for a better world-a world of justice ,morality and decency. Their collective and individual contributions in the cause of democracy and freedom have been widely recognised elsewhere and we believe it just and proper that they be celebrated where they were born and reared. Limerick has cause to be proud of their respective roles and our intention is to commemorate them by erecting, in a public place in the City, a fitting tribute to their memory.

76 years ago over 40,000 men came from all over the world to fight in the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil war, in defence of a democratically elected Government.

Of these about one third were killed and many others permanently injured. The vast majority went to Spain of their own free will to fight for what they believed to be a moral principle. They overcame enormous difficulties to fight for the Republic. They were not motivated by money or greed but by their faith in humanity and their love of freedom and democracy.

They went to fight for a better world – a world of justice, morality and decency. 5 Limerick men fought with the XV brigade Frank Ryan, Jim Tierney, Joe Ryan, Gerrard Doyle and Jim Woulfe– who died in the battle of Belchite in 1937.

We, the Limerick International Brigade Memorial Committee were formed to organise the building of a memorial in Limerick to these men and their ideals. In today’s modern global world intolerance, exploitation and injustice are again on the increase…

The dangers of fascism racism, xenophobia & homophobia must not go unchallenged and should be confronted wherever they exist. Let’s make Limerick a symbol of hope. A city to be proud of in its promotion of these ideals. A city of tolerance where these dark values have no place. This monument should be used as a vehicle for change. We propose to dedicate this memorial to these ideals of courage and vision. We want people to act like the Brigadistas and help break down the barriers of hatred and racism.

Surely there can be no more honourable enterprise than to go voluntarily to foreign parts, ready to sacrifice your own life to defend the freedom of others. To risk everything to counter the darkness of fascism, and confront it wherever it exists because it is an affront to all civilised people. Please pass this message on to your friends. We hope to start a fund raising drive in the new year so all help or ideas will be gratefully received.

We need your support. Please contact us on LIBMtrust[at]gmail.com or on LIBM Facebook page for further information

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A few weeks later a group of like minded individuals met at the Pery Hotel and our committee number grew to eight with: Ger Hayes elected as chairman, Brenda Cosgrove, Marion Maloney, Marie O’Flaherty, Charlie Clancy, John Shanny, Anthony McNamara and Myself, Sharon Slater. Each of the committee members except for myself were descendant from the Abbey Fishermen.

We held meetings each Friday on the run up to the event and proposed many ideas, many of which were successfully pulled off and some of which turned out to not feasible. Over the course of the next few weeks we planned events, sent out invitations and I put together the program brochure. The program highlighted the list of events and also delved into brief histories, stories and poems of the Abbey Fishermen, by Frank Prendergast, Mae Clancy Leonard, Arthur Lysaght and Sharon Slater, as well as listed the last members of the Abbey Fishermen.

Abbey Fishermen brochure

The committee worked together in many aspects though Marion Maloney was the main driving force behind Kings Island Community Centre, while Charlie Clancy organised a detailed map for the tour as well as the name tags and photograph placers for Sunday night. John Shanny made sure our banner was in order and that our name tags had holders, as well as bringing new information on the Shanny’s to light. Anthony McNamara took care of St. Mary’s Rugby Club. Marie O’Flaherty kept us all in check by keeping the minutes of each meeting. Brenda Cosgrove followed up emails and phone calls. Ger Hayes, as chairman, was our spokesman, making both his name and face known in the press in the run up to the event.

The List of Events:

On Friday night, we kicked off the Gathering at Kings Island Community Centre. We also conducted a registration of the attendees; information collected during this registration included where they travelled from, who their Abbey Fisherman ancestor was, and recorded any stories they may have had about their ancestor(s). The night was also to inform everyone of the events planned for the rest of the weekend.

Friday Night Abbey Fishermen

Saturday morning at 11am we had two events planned. Firstly,, the walking tour of the old Abbey Area in which most of the Abbey Fishermen and their families lived. The tour left the Absolute Hotel and wound its way through the few remaining lanes of the Abbey. Then it went up to O’Dwyer’s Bridge pointing out to the Park area where the Shanny family lived, next we entered St. Mary’s Church to view the mural which depicts the Abbey Fishermen as well as other St. Mary’s Parish well known communities. Next, stopping at St. Mary’s Band Hall before entering St. Mary’s Cathedral to look at the Shanny, Clancy and Hayes graves.

Walking Tour of the Abbey

The first boat trip was due to leave from Barrington’s Hospital, George’s Quay at 11am, but due to fast current this was pushed back an hour. Over the course of the next two hours over twenty people got to experience a trip on the Abbey and Shannon rivers up to the Hydro Electric Plant in Ardnacrusha. This was a fitting journey as the plant in Ardnacrusha was the main reason why the Abbey Fishermen lost their rights to fish in the 1930s.

Back at the Absolute Hotel at two o’clock, Brenda Cosgrove introduced my talk on the history of the Abbey Fishermen, where I delved into the interlinking ties between the four families, as well as examining how they fished in season and out. The talk was accompanied by a slide show featuring images from prison records as well as photographs of some of the men emigrating due to the loss in their livelihood. This talk was followed by a wonderful reading by Mae Clancy Leonard of her memories of her youth growing up in the Abbey area.

Talk on Abbey Fishermen

Finally the event was wrapped up on Sunday, where there was an elaborate photograph display of the Abbey Fisherman on the walls. We tried to obtain as many photographs of the last Abbey Fishermen as we could, this had been a daunting task at the beginning of our search but ultimately proved to be very rewarding on the night itself when people were admiring photographs of their grandfathers that they never knew existed. On the big screen, throughout the night, there were slide shows of the Abbey area itself. The evening also contained a live harpist, sing-a-longs and poetry readings.

Sunday Night at St. Mary’s Rugby Club

Overall, the event was a roaring success. Not only was the committee able to gather the descendants of the Abbey Fisherman from places like the United States and England, but they were also able to reunite family members who had either never met before, or had not seen each other, in some cases, in over 50 years.

If you attended the Abbey Fisherman Gathering event, what was your highlight?

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RiverFest Limerick 2013

Although we missed out on much of the activities of Riverfest due to our involvement in the Abbey Fishermen Gathering, we still managed to get out and enjoy Mondays events such as the selection of vintage cars in Arthur’s Quay Park, making it a hive of activity. IT was wonderful to cross to Clancy Strand and see a buzz in Arthur’s Quay Park.

It was wonderful to see the Shannon River busy with boats, both large and small as we walked through the city and around St. Mary’s Park.

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At the seaport of Williamstown, there is a memorial honouring the Great Famine & the Melbourne contingent of over 4000 Famine Orphans who came to Australia between 1848 – 1850. Meeting since 1998 on the second-last Sunday in November, we meet with a mix of history, performance & music to honour our Irish Ancestors at that terrible time, & in gratitude for the Irish contribution to Australian pioneering. As organizer of the Commemoration Day since 2009, I also host an Irish Famine Orphan Descendants’ Group.

Great great grandmother Sarah Matilda O’Malley came from “Limerick”, though there was sure to be more than one workhouse in the county. She arrived 14 May 1849 via Pemberton, the second of six ships to Melbourne, Australia under Earl Grey’s Scheme at the time of the Great Famine, carrying orphans intended to become domestic servants. Unless there was an anomaly, & there were some, all the 4000+ orphans had to have spent a year in a workhouse to be eligible for the scheme.

Aged seventeen in 1849, I believe she had been orphaned at age seven. So her birthdate would have been c 1831. First her soldier father & two soldier (presumably) uncles had died, then her mother. I have not been able to establish if her father served this way, nor what part of the Army, although I presume it to have been British. Her mother could have been with friends or relatives prior or after his death, or perhaps her father could have been stationed in Limerick.

More of the family story says Sarah O’Malley went to live with family friends when orphaned, & that she came out with her/them to Australia. The Pemberton shipping list from the NSW Govt Archives notes Sarah was 17, a Roman Catholic house servant from Limerick who could read & write. http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.asp?Page=NRS5316/4_4816/Pemberton_14%20May%201849/4_481600257.jpg&No=11

A few months before her death in 1914, Sarah O’Malley told her youngest son her original name was Goodchild.

There were two Bowen girls on Pemberton, both 16; if they were related, they would have been cousins. One Bowen is spelt Bohan. Mary A. Bohan was a Nursemaid, from “Rosscrea, Tipperary” & Mary Ann Bowen was a Child’smaid from “Queens County”, so there is some confusion for me there. Both were Roman Catholics who could read & write. http://srwww.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.asp?Page=NRS5316/4_4816/Pemberton_14%20May%201849/4_481600248.jpg&No=2

Orphans from the Royal Hibernian Military School also travelled on this ship. I have also noticed on this particular ship quite a few orphans were listed as coming from “Rosscrea Limerick” (sic). Any idea why this should be so? The placement & the way the hand writing flows, it appears neither to be a transcription error nor copied from the line above.

I am happy for you to pass on my contact details if I can help others from our end. Any leads would be gratefully accepted,

opaldeva[at]gmail.com

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The 1812-1822 burials

The following are extracts from the burial records for the Limerick Society of Friends, covering those buried in Pump Lane Graveyard which was once situated at the end of Pump Lane in English Town. You can read the original registers for this graveyard at Society of Friends Burial Papers. Following the death of Rebecca Mark Harvey on Christmas Day 1831, Joseph Massey Harvey her husband donated a portion of his land in Ballinacurra as a burial ground for the Society of Friends. Rebecca was the first to be interred there on the 8th of July 1833, this would become the main graveyard for the Society of Friends from 1834 onwards.

Pump Lane is now known as St. Francis Place and the graveyard is located under St. Mary’s Girls Primary School.

Pump Lane Graveyard marked by red X.

*not a member of the Society but asked permission to be buried in the Pump Lane Graveyard

#previous member disowned mostly due to marrying outside the faith.

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In 1949 agroup of men went fishing in Plassey, this would not have been an unusual occurrence except for the camera that came with them. This camera gives us a rare glimpse into the past, and allows us to see the Plassey area over 60 years ago. The Plassey area where this video was filmed is now extensively built up with the expanding University of Limerick campus spreading to both sides of the Shannon River. Some of the huts seen in this film and used by the fishermen are still in Plassey today, some of these can be seen on the walk from Limerick city to the University of Limerick along the canal.

The background music is Freddie Walters singing traditional Limerick and Irish songs, with his mother Annie Walters on piano in 1947. The video itself had no sound, while the music was recorded on a wax cylinder. Annie Walters was an accomplished pianist, in the silent movie era she played in the cinemas to add drama to the films.

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We could have also included others who were associated with Limerick such as John P. Holland (1840-1914) the inventor of the submarine joined the Christian Brothers in Limerick in his youth and the Irish Coffee which was invented in Foynes, Co. Limerick in 1943.

1. Making the World See

Sylvester O’Halloran born in Limerick in 1728 was a pioneering in many respects, but his most influential legacy was the cataract surgery. Without Sylvester’s skills and documentations millions of people throughout the world would have remained blind.

Sylvester O’Halloran

He also founded Limericks first maternity hospital to which he donated his time and skills freely.

2. Making Christmas Dinners

No Christmas dinner table would be complete without a ham, a Limerick Ham to be precise. We also have to thank Queen Victoria for this one as she insisted on having a Limerick Ham for her Christmas Dinner and so made it a custom throughout the English speaking world.

Limerick Ham

The traditional way to cook a Limerick Ham was to take a smoked ham, steep it in cider overnight and then bake at a high temperature until golden brown and delicious.

3. Blue Printing New York

Limerick in the 1800s was at the forefront of modern architecture, Newtownpery was a built to a grid plan that can still be seen today. This grid plan was the later used as a template for the development of Manhattan’s famous grid work of interlaced streets.

New York Grid

There is often a dispute over this issue though Limerick piloted the grid pattern in 1765 while the Manhattan grid plan project began in 1807. Limerick at the turn of the 18th century was a centre of design and development, there is little doubt that the designers would have known about the Limerick project and been influenced by it.

4. Dressing the Soldiers & Creating Production Lines

The instantly recognisable Confederate Army uniform of the American Civil war came all the way from Peter Tait’s Limerick factory. Tait’s connection with the Confederacy began in earnest in December 1863, when 50,000 caps, greatcoats, jackets, trousers, shirts, blankets, boots, stockings and haversacks were ordered by the Confederate Government.

Confederate Soldiers

Peter Tait was also pioneered of the use of an assembly line for manufacturing clothing in his Limerick factory, now the standard method for most commercial production. Henry Ford in reputed to have copied Tait’s ideas for the manufacture of cars.

5. Creating a Romantic novelist

Would Jane Austen have been the prolific romantic novelist if it were not her her love loss, Limerick born Thomas Lefroy the man who broke Jane Austen’s heart.

Thomas Lefroy

He went on to become the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland from 1852-1866, while Jane remained unmarried throughout her life.

There were many others than these five, do you have a favourite Limerick invention, discovery, world changing action?

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1969 Only Yesterday
Remembering a childhood
Sean Shinners

 

I am a 13 year old boy and it is 1969 in Limerick.I am attending to my duties at the Saxone Shoe Shop I am polishing the brass handles on the front door and the brass fixture on the tiled floor that I had scrubbed clean. My other morning duties were to break up the shoe boxes from the previous days business and shine the linoleum floors and bannisters leading downstairs to the mens department. When that was finished my next job was to bring the post to the GPO and to buy stamps then I would head to the Dainty Dairy on Bedford Row to pick up doughnuts for the staff Elevensis break.

 

I would always stop outside Mr McKennas shop next door to the Dainty Dairy and drool at all the toys and trinkets in the window that was until Mr McKenna saw me and hunted me knew that I was not a customer I was just another “Toerag” from Kileely of the Sixties to him.

 

I loved walking back to the Saxone from the GPO I would watch the American tourists coming from the Royal George Hotel with the owner Mr Kennedy impeccably dressed standing outside with his hands behind his back like royalty. Walking down the street I would be drawn to the smell of food coming from the Stella Restaurant and the Galleon Grill and wonder what it might be like to eat in a restaurant like those. I would watch the rubbish men picking up their bags on the sides of the streets and all the different messenger boys and telegram boys cycling up and down O’Connell St. I liked to look in the window of the Wimpy and see the Chef Paul O’Connor in his starched white chefs uniform and his big moustache his presence was very impressive to this child.

 

These are but a few of my childhood memories of Limerick in 1969.

Saxone Shoes 1959

The post Guest Post: 1969 Only Yesterday appeared first on Welcome to Limerick's Life.

Here are a selection of our guest posts and reproduced articles:

The forgotten Irish starlet who fell into tragic downward spiral – Irish Independent

An Irish Singalong in a Limerick Pub in 1992 – World Irish

Slavery by any other name still tastes bitter – P.T.A.R.A

From Limerick to London to the Ivory Coast – The Life of Laura Navaro – World Irish

The Rattles and Bangs of the Savoy Limerick – See You a the Pictures.

Connected Limerick 2011 – Connected Limerick

Clare Kilquane – Ireland Genealogy Projects Archives

Hidden Walks in Limerick City – Got Ireland

Here are a selection of reviews and press made of our site:

Limerick Chronicle – 21 Feb 2012

Harvest Time Guide Tour – Limerick Local Heroes

Limerick Chronicle – 02 Oct 2012

A review from John Tierney – Historic Graves

Archi-Cycle OpenhouseLimerick – Limerick.ie

Tweasure Hunt – Milklabs

Our work has also been cited as a reference in various wide ranging publications. Please inform us if you have cited our information elsewhere and we will add the post to our collection of links.

Here are a selection of websites who have cited our information:

Rabies in dogs and humans can be easily prevented – Wexford People

Limerick Video’s – Limerick Star News

Limerick Cinemas – Cinema Heritage Group

Sir Harry’s Mall – UL Student Research Project.

Shannon Street – Des Murphy

George’s Quay – Adam Heaton

Sylvester O’Halloran Footbridge – David Leen

O’Connell Street – Mcultra27

Visit to Clare Street – Nor12127736 (UL Research Student)

Glentworth Street - C12151629 (UL Research Student)

Bedford Row, Limerick – Elizabeth Sheehan

Cruises Street - f12139734 (UL Research Student)

Ennis Road – Smellyboyband

The post Guest Blogger & Citations appeared first on Welcome to Limerick's Life.

In 1829 Joseph Barrington (1764-1846) and family funded Barrington’s Hospital on George’s Quay, they would spend over £10,000 on the construction of this building. It was Joseph’s son Matthew Barrington, a solicitor, who was the instigator of Limerick’s Monte de Piété or Charitable pawn shop, the first of eight such establishments opened in Ireland in 13 March 1837.

The purpose of this building was to act as a pawn shop with reasonable rates for the poor in the area. In 1837 there were eleven other pawnshops in Limerick City all with varying rates of interest, there was one shop with the extortionary interest rates that £100 lent in shillings and received weekly, would at compound interest, in 1 year amount to £45,690-7 owed. Matthew Barrington wanted to stop this practice of extortion.

The funds raised by the Monte de Piété were used to support the hospital. Just after the construction of the Monte de Piete’s elaborate building in May 1838 the chairman of the board Archibald Douglas was brought in front of a Select Committee on Pawn Brokers in Ireland to explain the differences between a Monte de Piété and a regular pawn shop.

In 1840 the building was mentioned in the Triennial Trade Directory and had in that year made a profit on £1,357. Though following this initial boost the  Monte de Piété made a steady loss year on year until 1845 when the pawn shop was closed and building was converted into a convalescent hospital for the patient of the Fever Hospital (St. John’s). Even as a recovery wing the building was not a success and from 1847 it was used as a police barracks at an annual lease rate of £26 until it was abandoned and was demolished in 1892.

Next to Barrington’s Hospital on George’s Quay

The building was an impressive domed structure with large columns facing the Abbey River, remnants of the building were still viewable until 2002 when the recent development on the site where carried out. An archaeological dig took place at the time out and the walls were discovered much to the excitement of the archaeologists.

1840s map showing the location of the Monte De Piéte

Though this attempt at aiding the poor out of debt and destitution failed other pawn shops flourished and there were no fewer than 18 other shops in the city by 1877, this shows that that the Monte de Piété were too generous with their loans and perhaps too hopeful of their ideals.

Below is a token which would have been used in exchange for goods pawned. The token would have been accepted by certain shops in an effort to insure that those who used the Monte de Piété would use the money gained from pawning their belongings for wholesome activities.

Token from Monte de Piété

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The Forgotten Graveyard
Sir Harry’s Mall
Stephen Clancy

Hello my name is Stephen Clancy and I have been asked to write about the bodies found in Sir Harry’s Mall in April 2005. I am currently in Third Year at the school directly above the old cemetery thus fuelling my interest in the topic.

I can remember going to see the bodies with my mother during the excavation. Being an archaeological site we were only able to get photos from above the site. After a while one of the archaeologists offered to take pictures of the bodies for us. I can remember visiting the dig as it was interesting seeing the skeletons. I am not upset by skeletons but I still remember it quite clearly and maintain vivid memories of the excavation. One of the bodies lay on the ground with his arms by his side and half of his skull was missing. Another had their hands placed on their stomach and when you looked at their face he appeared to be screaming. When I was there I saw part of the Limerick wall, the wall was huge about 6 foot wide and about 12 foot tall, however during the time of the dig only the bottom of the wall remained..

The cemetery is now buried under Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh an all Irish school that I am currently attending. in the back of the school they have a metal line that shows where the wall stood. In first year we were taught about the bodies that lay under our feet. However I doubt that anyone in my class or the majority of the GCL staff know the reason why the bodies were buried there in the first place.

The bodies found were actually cholera victims who were buried on the other side of the Limerick wall to avoid infecting other people who lived nearby. It is reasonable to believe that they were buried in unmarked graves as there is no record of any markers above the graves, leading me to believe that they did not receive a religious burial.

The cemetery is not one of a kind however as right by my school underneath St. Mary’s Girls National School lies another graveyard. Limerick’s Life discovered the graveyard by studying the old limerick maps. Limerick’s Life was searching for the graveyard as a result of finding mention of it in the burial registers. The graveyard belonged to the Society of Friends more commonly known as the Quakers.

No doubt there are probably countless other cemeteries yet to be discovered in Limerick.

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Hidden Walks in Limerick City

It is not immediately evident to Limerick’s visitors that the city possesses quite a few walkways where it is possible to find a peaceful sanctuary within the confines of bustling city life. Below we will describe how to locate these hidden treasures, and how each one has its own unique style. Each of these walks can be completed in half an hour or can be expanded to take a few hours.

The Canal and Beyond

As you are leaving the city from the direction of the Dublin Road, just after the turn off to the Abbey Bridge, the pathway expands and you are confronted by a large green painted iron gate. While the gate may seem big and ominous, do not be put off by this gate! It is there to mark the entrance to the Canal walk.

The canal was built in the mid 18th century, and up until the 1960s it was a centre of hustle and bustle as barges transported their goods to and from Limerick. Now, while the canal remains, the hordes of activity are no longer created by humans, but by a myriad of wild life that have made this area their home. When you take the time to find this hidden walk along the canal, it is not uncommon to witness herons, swans, ducks as well as many smaller native birds living and playing in the brush along the trail.

One of the great things about this walk is that it branches into many others, which can really appeal to the adventurous types. At the end of the main canal walk, you have three additional options to go from there.

First, you can cross over the bridge and return to the city along the opposite bank of the canal. Second, you can continue straight on and re-enter another walk way which will bring you along the river bank all the way to the University of Limerick and beyond. And third, you can cross over the bridge and re-enter yet another walkway which brings you out to Corbally. The latter two options will lead you through trails that make you completely forget that only a few hundred metres away is city life; as you will be surrounded by towering trees, large bodies of water and the calming sights and sounds of wild life.

Arthur’s Quay to the Castle Walk

This treasure is hidden right in the heart of the city. You could easily pass it by and never know it is there. Hidden to the left of a 70s concrete office block is a small gate. This gate looks as if it is private property, but it’s not, so be sure that once you locate it, enjoy it at your leisure.

Once through the gate you will be led to the back of the Hunt Museum, which was once the city’s Custom House. From here you will continue over the Sylvester O’Halloran footbridge, named after the Limerick man who developed the modern cataract operation, and led many people to be able to enjoy views just like what this walk will provide. Going over the bridge brings you to the Potato Market car park, from where you should take a left around the back of the Court House, behind City Hall and finally you will find yourself in a large open space covered in beautiful and vibrant green grass.

This open space gives you the most impressive view of the magnificent Shannon River and the magnitude of King John’s Castle. You finish this walk by exiting by the Castle. Turning right here leads you through the English Town quarter and back into the city, turning left will bring you over Thomond Bridge and towards the Clancy Strand walk (detailed below), and going straight ahead leads you on to the King’s Island Walk (detailed below).

Clancy Strand & O’Callaghan Strand Walk

From Thomond Bridge, turning left will lead you directly to the Treaty Stone, which begins the Clancy Strand and O’Callaghan Strand city walk, whose area has recently been renovated. One of the new additions includes many informative plaques have been placed along the walk which aim to educate you on the city and her history while you take in a fantastic view of the city skyline from the opposite bank of the river.

Keep your eyes peeled on this walk as you pass the house for which these strands are named. These quaint redbrick houses are riddled with bullet holes to this day from the assassination of the Mayor George Clancy and former Mayor Michael O’Callaghan of Limerick in 1921.

There are many spots to stop, sit and take in the view along the walk, which takes you past Sarsfield Bridge to the St. Michael’s Rowing Club. On the slip way at the end of O’Callaghan Strand you will most likely see a bevy of gorgeous white swans. It is advisable to not go down to the swans, as while they will take the food visitors throw their way, they are not very fond of the visitors themselves.

Just like the other walks you now have two options; first, you can climb the steps and cross back into the city over the Shannon Bridge, or you can continue under the bridge to the Westfields Wetlands Bird Sanctuary.

Kings Island Walk

You will find King’s Island most easily from the Castle walk (detailed above), straight past the Bard of Thomond and crossing over the road to Bishop’s Palace, past St Munchin’s Church and Villier’s Almshouses.

It won’t be long before you reach this pedestrian walk that takes you along the river around the old King’s Island. This is the most underused walkway in the city, whose main visitors are school children talking a short cut from one side of the city to the other. On this walk you will see where the Abbey River diverges off the Shannon River forming this Island. Folklore tells us that the Abbey River was created by Viking invaders whose ships could not cross the Curraghgower falls on the Shannon River.

You exit this walk at O’Dwyer Bridge where you take a right back into the city along Athlunkard Street, a street with a Norse name harking back to the Viking folklore of the area.

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“Rashers and Sausages Music”

Memories of Ciaran MacMathuna

By George Lee

“Rashers and Sausages Music” was what it was called in our house though purists knew it as “The Lark in the Clear Air” but it was that piece and Ciaran’s distinctive voice that announced Sunday morning.

We felt we had a hold on him, he grew up 5 doors down the Edwardian Terraced Cul de Sac, he had gone to the same school as us, and some of the old people in the Avenue remembered the McMahons in number 14. I recollect the excitement of the RTE Camera Crew coming some time in the 1970’s with him to do a biographical programme on his life and my father even possessed a copy of his wife Dolly’s song “The Hills of Connemara

The music still elicits all sorts of memory pictures of getting up early to serve Mass in the nearby Cathedral and of Spring sunshine catching the dust particles in its beam as it reflected off the kitchen floor. It was atmospheric and indicative of a time when life was slower and certainly less complicated and more innocent. My Dad got home from work for his breakfast some Sunday mornings and if you were lucky you shared his rashers and the soundtrack was always Ciaran’s voice and music.

Occasionally he would make a reference to Limerick, his upbringing or his family and that made him more “ours” and though his life was in a very distant Dublin (where we went to the Zoo) we always felt that in some way his ties were to his homeplace.

Of course I now understand that Ciaran’s work was so much more than just that radio programme and that as a nation we owe a great debt to him and the others who travelled the country recording a disappearing culture and preserving it. This was done in the days when recording devices were cumbersome and travel was difficult but his “Job of Journeywork”, as he styled it, has laid the foundations for much of the music and the Irish Cultural Revival that has happened over the past 40 years.

He often spoke of West Clare, of Fleadh’s and Mrs Crotty from Kilrush, of Tulla and Kilfenora, of Micko Russell and Willie Clancy, and of flutes and fiddles, all of the familiar things that meant something to a young man whose extended world encompassed his home place and the annual holiday in Kilkee.

We grew up with his slow measured bass voice and as it got older and early Sunday Morning rises gave way to long lie ins after late nights we parted company for a number of years. But as if to mark the passage of time when our own children arrived and woke with the dawn Ciaran’s voice once again anchored us reassuringly and the Rashers and Sausages music took on a new meaning.

And so it was that I was privileged to be the one despatched to collect him from Limerick Station to assist in the launch of a charity album. We drove up Mulgrave Street that dark wet Friday night and that Sunday morning voice was now in my car regaling me with stories of his youth and enquiring about old neighbours. I had a million questions to ask him but I sat and listened immersing myself in the voice and understanding just what a formative place his home was in his view of life. I realised that our upbringing in that same place though 50 years apart were almost identical and I learned from him that his passion for his trade was undimmed by the years and that my childhood Sunday Morning influence was as real in person as he was through the speakers of the radio in the kitchen

Ciaran finally no longer finished his programme with the line “go dtí an cead uair eile” in 2005 and went to his eternal reward in December 2009 and Sunday mornings have never been the same. For me the smell of Rashers and Sausages or the music of Geraldine O’Grady always reminds me of Ciaran MacMathuna.

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