an inland county of the province of Munster, in Ireland, is bounded on the N. by the estuary of the Shannon (from which it derives the advantages of a maritime county) and Tipperary, on the E. by the same county, on the S. by the county of Cork, and on the W. by Kerry. According to the ordnance survey, it comprises an area of 1061 square miles, or 680,842 acres, of which 526,876 are arable, 121,101 uncultivated, 11,575 in plantations, 2759 in towns, and 18,531 under water. Of the 121,000 acres of uncultivated land, it has been estimated that 30,000 acres might be improved for cultivation, 40,000 acres might be drained for pasture, and 51,000 acres, situated chiefly on the high levels in the Galtees and Slieve Phelim Mountains, may be considered as unimprovable.
It was formerly inhabited by the tribe of the Velaborii. The principal Irish families in the county were the O'Briens, O'Grady's, O'Gormans, McEnerys, McSheehys, Moronys, McMahons, and O'Quins. At the commencement of the thirteenth century, the Anglo-Norman proprietors, who had obtained grants of land, introduced colonists, chiefly from Bristol and Chester, into the rich lands about the city of Limerick and the northern part of the county. In 1586, the estates of the Earl of Desmond became forfeited, and those situate in this county, amounting to nearly 100,000 acres, were granted by the crown to Sir William Courtenay, Sir George Bourchier, Sir George Thornton, Sir Henry Uthered, Sir Henry Billingsley, Robert Anneley, William Carter, Edward Manning, Robert Stroud, William Trenchard, Edward Berkeley, and Richard Fitton. Much of it was confiscated in the time of Cromwell, since which period Limerick, the proprietorship of the soil has mostly devolved upon settlers of English descent. The county is now divided into the fourteen baronies of Clanwilliam, Upper and Lower Connello, Coonagh, Coshica, Coslama, Glenquin, Kenry, Kilmallock, North Liberties, Owneybeg, Pubblebrin, Shanid, and Small County, which are again subdivided into 131 parishes.
According to the ecclesiastical arrangements of the country, the county is in Limerick and Emly dioceses, and three or four parishes in those of Cashel and Killaloe. The see of Limerick is one of the few unaffected by the changes introduced into the ecclesiastical divisions of Ireland. It is still, as before, united with those of Ardferit and Aghadoe in Kerry. The cathedral, an ancient structure of considerable extent, but of no external beauty, stands in the city of Limerick; and the bishop's palace, a modern mansion, is situate on the bank of the Shannon, at the western extremity of the city. The chapter consists of a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, and archdeacon, and has eleven prebendaries. The see of Emly, united with that of Cashel, has thirty-eight parishes in the county of Limerick, and twenty in Tipperary.
The face of the country, though diversified by numerous small hills, is not mountainous, except on the S.E., where it is bounded by the Galtees, the finest inland range of mountains in Ireland, which rise to an elevation of 3008 feet, and extend into the adjoining county of Tipperary. On the borders of Kerry the surface also rises into a grand amphitheatre of low but steep mountains, that spread themselves out in a wide curve from Loghill to Dromcollogher. The Shannon forms the boundary of the greater portion of the northern part of the county, and is navigable for large vessels from Limerick to the sea. That portion of the river between Limerick and Killaloe (12 miles) is not navigable, on account of the rapids and shallows which occur. The River Shannon, which measures 240 miles in length from its source to the sea, has a total fall of 174 feet, 97 of which are within those 12 miles. The only river of any size is the Maig, which rises in the Galtees, and discharges itself into the Shannon, W. of Limerick. It is navigable by barges from the Shannon to the town of Adare. The Feale and the Gole, which rise in the western mountain range, are considered as belonging to Kerry, and the Blackwater, which rises in the same range, to Cork. The county is well watered by numerous smaller streams. There are no lakes of any importance in this county.
The soil in the level parts is considered as the richest in Ireland. Arthur Young said of this county and Tipperary: "It is the richest soil I ever saw, and such as is applicable to every wish. It will fatten the largest bullock, and at the same time do equally well for sheep, for tillage, for turnips, for wheat, for beans, and, in a word, for every crop and circumstance of profitable husbandry." The Golden Vale, a district which obtained its name from the remarkable exuberance of its fertility, lies mostly in this county. Along the banks of the Shannon are large tracts of marsh land, called Caucasses, also celebrated for their richness; a circumstance attributed to the quantity of alluvial mould deposited there by the Shannon when it overflows its banks. In a geological point of view the low country forms part of the great limestone plain of Ireland; but the mountainous district in the S. and W. consists chiefly of the old red sandstone, with clay-slate appearing in the loflier portions of the county. After leaving Lough Derg, the River Shannon passes through a gorge in this mountain range at Killaloe, and is precipitated down the rapids of Doonas and Castleroy towards Limerick. At Castleconnel, a town beautifully situate, is a fine chalybeate spring, of great celebrity from its sanative effects.
The number of inhabitants at the following periods was:— The Irish language is understood by nearly thirty per cent. of the population, and upwards of 7000 cannot speak English. As regards the religious persuasion of the inhabitants, there are no accurate returns, but there can be no doubt that the Roman Catholics form at least nine-tenths of the population of this county.
The number of schools in the city and county of Limerick, and the children attending them, in the week ended 12th April 1851, was:
| City of Limerick | No. of Schools | No. of Scholars | |------------------|---------------|----------------| | National | 4 | 1255 | | Diocesan | 1 | 20 | | Endowed | 4 | 237 | | Boarding | 6 | 66 | | Private | 41 | 848 | | Parochial | 2 | 55 | | Free | 4 | 881 | | Military | 1 | 16 | | Workhouse | 2 | 792 | | Charitable Boarding | 2 | 47 | | Total | 67 | 2915 |
| County of Limerick | No. of Schools | No. of Scholars | |--------------------|---------------|----------------| | National | 60 | 2764 | | Church Education | 7 | 185 | | Endowed | 1 | 24 | | Private | 160 | 3762 | | Parochial | 25 | 625 | | Free | 1 | 46 | | Mission | 1 | 32 | | Workhouse | 19 | 2814 | | Total | 274 | 10,253 |
At the same period, in the city of Limerick, 37½ per cent., and in the county 51 per cent., of the population, five years old and upwards, are returned as being unable to read or write.
The county returned eight members to the Irish parliament; two for the county at large, two for the city of Limerick, and two for each of the boroughs of Askeaton and Kilmallock. The boroughs having been disfranchised at the Union, the number of representatives sent to the imperial parliament was fixed at three—two for the county, and one for the city. The Reform Act added one representative to the latter place.
The land in the level parts is divided into large farms, many of which are almost exclusively devoted to grazing. In the more hilly region the farms are smaller, and in some parts cut up into holdings much too small for the profitable culture of the soil, or the comfortable support of the cultivators. In the year 1709, a colony of Palatines, brought from Germany by Lord Southwell, settled near Bruff, Rathkeale, and Adare. They tended much to improve the state of agriculture, as also that of the linen manufacture. The rich lands on the borders of the rivers produce a kind of flax very different from that of the north; it grows to a great height, and is well adapted for sail-cloth. Hemp was formerly cultivated extensively on the lands of the same quality. The exportation of cattle and grain is very considerable, constituting the main source of the wealth of the inhabitants.
The extent of land under each description of crop in Limerick, 1854, 1855, and 1856, was:
| Crop | 1854 Acres | 1855 Acres | 1856 Acres | |-----------------------|------------|------------|------------| | Wheat | 14,427 | 17,149 | 22,577 | | Oats | 45,009 | 45,455 | 42,131 | | Barley, Bere, Rye, Beans, and Pease | 15,343 | 12,057 | 7,537 | | Potatoes | 33,282 | 35,723 | 43,428 | | Turnips | 11,012 | 11,394 | 9,869 | | Other Green Crops | 2,749 | 2,771 | 2,877 | | Flax | 316 | 243 | 230 | | Meadow and Clover | 69,117 | 71,292 | 72,339 | | Total | 191,855 | 198,084 | 200,970 |
The quantity of live stock in the county in 1854–56 was as follows:
| Livestock | 1854 No. | 1855 No. | 1856 No. | |-----------|----------|----------|----------| | Horses | 17,111 | 17,206 | 17,782 | | Cattle | 158,874 | 159,710 | 160,421 | | Sheep | 86,376 | 80,914 | 77,156 | | Pigs | 69,214 | 61,733 | 59,346 |
The occupations of the people are almost exclusively agricultural. Their dwellings are poor, their food chiefly the potato; their fuel is turf, except in the immediate neighbourhood of the city, where British coal is much used.
The county possesses many remains of antiquity. The most remarkable of the ancient monastic buildings are in the city of Limerick, where, besides the cathedral, there was a Dominican friary founded by Carbreagh O'Brien, King of Thomond, in which he was interred. Some remains of the monument erected to his memory still exist. In the same city was an Augustinian friary, a convent of black nuns, a Franciscan friary, and a preceptory of knights-templars, besides several other minor religious establishments. Amongst the most admired of the many fine monastic ruins in various parts of the county is the Abbey of Adare.
The city of Limerick, the capital of the county, is situate on the Shannon, about 100 miles from its mouth, partly on an island, and partly on the mainland. It is the fourth city in Ireland in population and importance, being surpassed in these respects only by Dublin, Belfast, and Cork. The number of its inhabitants, in 1851, was 48,961. The city consists of three principal divisions—the old town, divided into Irish and English Town; and Newtown Pery. The first is the most ancient, having been built before the arrival of the English in 1172. The second occupies King's Island, on the Shannon, and was formerly a strongly fortified position; both these portions consist chiefly of poor streets, and low village-like houses. The third was commenced in 1769, by Mr Sexton Pery, from whom it takes its name. It is laid out along the eastern banks of the river in streets, intersecting each other at right angles with geometrical precision, and contains many handsome streets of elegant houses, and squares, and public buildings of considerable pretensions. The city was formerly considered as the strongest place in Ireland. In 1174 it was taken by the English, but shortly afterwards evacuated and burned, to prevent its occupation being serviceable to the enemy. In 1651 it was taken by Ireton, Cromwell's lieutenant-general, after a vigorous resistance; and in 1690, its garrison baffled the army of King William, who conducted the siege in person; but it surrendered on terms the next year to General De Ginkel, on which occasion the celebrated treaty of Limerick was concluded. Most of the walls and gates have been demolished, and quays, warehouses, and streets, built on their site. The different parts of the town are connected with each other by bridges, of which the most remarkable, Thomond Bridge, leading from King John's Castle to Thomond Gate, has been lately rebuilt; and Wellesley Bridge, erected in 1827, one of the finest speci- mens of this kind of architecture in the island. Besides the cathedral, and three parish churches, and two chapels of ease of the Established church, there are eight Roman Catholic places of worship. The Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Independents, and Quakers have each a meeting-house. The chief public buildings are—the court-house, the custom-house, the gaol, the commercial buildings, the lunatic asylum, the union workhouse, &c. The city was originally incorporated by King John, whose charter was confirmed and extended by several succeeding sovereigns. It was first governed by a bailiff, but obtained the privilege of electing mayors and sheriffs ten years before that right was conferred on London. The corporation, styled the "Mayor, Aldermen, and Burgesses of Limerick," now consists of 8 aldermen and 32 town-councillors. The charitable endowments are numerous, and some of them extensive. The manufacture of linen has been revived of late years; and Limerick is also celebrated for the manufacture of lace, gloves, and fishing-hooks. There are also several breweries, distilleries, tanneries, foundries, and flour-mills. The exports chiefly consist of provisions and grain. The imports are—coal, turf, timber, wine, spirits, and all articles of British and foreign production. The navigation from the Atlantic to the city is open and secure, and the inland navigation connects it with Dublin and all the intermediate line of country. Vessels of 1000 tons can approach within five miles of the city, and those of 600 tons can unload at its quays. The harbour extends about 1600 yards in length, and 150 in breadth, with from 2 to 9 feet at low water, and 19 at spring tides. In 1835 the exports were valued at £726,430, and in 1842, at £1,200,000. The number of vessels entered inwards, in 1855, was 601, of 83,585 tons. Eleven vessels, of about 1760 tons in all, belonged to Limerick shipowners in 1832. In 1855, 88 vessels, of 12,090 tons, were registered as belonging to the port.
The other towns of some note in the county are,—Rathkeale, Shanagolden, Ballingarry, Newcastle, Adare, Askeaton, and Castleconnell. Kilmallock is more remarkable for its remaining vestiges of former greatness than for its present condition. It was the second town in the county, having a charter of incorporation, being surrounded by substantial fortifications, and consisting of a number of large houses, durably constructed of cut stone, and belonging to the age of Elizabeth and James I.