A bridge stood on the site of the modern Thomond bridge for some 800 years. It connected the old walled city of Limerick with County Clare via Thomondgate. The modern bridge was opened in 1840 after almost five years of construction. It replaced a bridge from the 14th century. The older bridge contained a drawbridge…
In 1992, the McCormack Singers sat down in O’Driscoll’s Pub, Corbally to perform some very Limerick songs, such as “There is an isle” as part of their 25th anniversary. The choir was founded in 1967 by Liam Benson and Paddy McCormack. The original group of twelve singers was modelled after the famous Tapscott Singers of Canada….
In 1761, the old walls of the city were torn down and the city began expanding into the Newtownpery. With this a bridge was erected across the Abbey River between King’s Island and the new custom house building. As the population of Newtownpery grew, this bridge was deemed insufficient for amount of traffic using it…
The following is a film of the Abbey area in Limerick City in 1992, showing some of the old lanes some of which no longer exist, these lanes include Sir Harry’s Mall and Glueyard Lane. Sir Harry’s Mall has been extensively redeveloped and now is the home to Gaelcholaiste Lumnigh and the Absolute Hotel which…
Athlunkard Bridge, on the Corbally Road out of the city was designed by the Pain Brothers, it separates Limerick and Clare. There had been a previous attempt at a bridge near to this location but it was too low and was never completed, though the remnants of one of it’s arches can be seen on…
Bishop O’Dwyer Bridge was built in 1931 to replace Park Bridge which had been built in 1798. The Park Bridge was a private bridge that exited from Sir Harry’s Mall to the Corbally area. Arthlunkard Street was not constructed until 1824 when plans were in place to construct Athlunkard Bridge, which crossed the Shannon to…
This is a pedestrian bridge on the Canal Bank, built in 1996 and opened in January 1997. The Guinness company gave £25,000 and the LCCC gave £10,000 to the Limerick Civic Trust to help with the construction. As with the Abbey Bridge there was much debate at the time over whether it should be named after…
The Sylvester O’Halloran foot bridge built in 1987 by the Civic Trust is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Sylvester O’Halloran who was born in Caherdavin in 1728. As a surgeon he developed a new method of treating cataracts. In 1774 he wrote A General History of Ireland and in 1803 A History of Ireland. He lived…
Park Road Bridge links Corbally and Rhebogue, it was once a steeper humped bridge, to allow boats to pass beneath it but has been lowered, the previous arc is still visible in the internal stone work. A tour of the canal was given as part of the Limerick Riverpaths Other bridges of Limerick City
This bridge is located at the entrance of the canal into the Abbey River. Single-arch hump-back red brick and limestone canal bridge, erected in 1757, crossing the canal at Lock Quay canal harbour. In use as footbridge. Rubble limestone and red brick west elevation laid in English garden wall bond, with red brick parapet wall…
This is the most recently built bridge in the city, it was officially opened with some controversy in 1999. The initial plan was to name the bridge the Jim Kemmy bridge, after the former mayor and local historian who passed away in 1997. Local residents disagreed with this name and called for the bridge to…
Shannon Bridge was opened on May 30, 1988 to connect the Dock Road area to the North Circular Road area. The bridge was also known as the Whistling or Whining or Singing Bridge as after constriction wind would blow though the gaps under the bridge making a whistling sound. This has now been remedied. The Limerick…
Limerick is brimming with captivating buildings that are more than just aged structures; they are steeped in history, architectural marvels, and rich stories waiting to be explored. In the early 2000s, two abandoned cottages on Dublin Road underwent a significant discovery. When the galvanized roofs were removed, the remnants of traditional thatched roofs were uncovered….
Brief History of the Diocese of Limerick by Fr. John Leonard service booklet for the installation of Bishop Donal Murray in March 1996. St. John’s Cathedral is the Seat of the Diocese of Limerick. The present day cathedral is built on the site of the old eighteenth-century one. Constructed between 1856 and 1861 under the…
Pictures as the the old saying goes “paint a thousand words” and how true this is, pictures capture the imagination of the view and take us to places we never thought possible. Through old photographs and paintings we are given a snippet of a moment when our ancestors walked this city, perhaps they too saw…