LIMERICK, a maritime county of the province of Munster, in Ireland, is bounded on the north by the estuary of the Shannon and the county of Tipperary, on the east by the same county, on the south by the county of Cork, and on the west by that of Kerry. In extent of surface it ranks as tenth amongst the counties of Ireland. It contains 674,783 acres, of which 582,802 acres are fit for cultivation, and only 91,981 are bog or unprofitable mountain.

It was formerly inhabited by the tribe of the Velaborii. The principal Irish families in it afterwards were the O’Briens, O’Gradys, O’Gormans, M‘Enerys, M‘Sheehys, Moronys, M‘Mahons, and O’Quins. Much of it was confiscated in the time of Cromwell, since which period the proprietorship of the soil has mostly devolved upon settlers of English descent. The county is now divided into the ten baronies of Clanwilliam, Upper and Lower Conello, Coonagh. Coshma, Costlea, Kenry, Owneybeg, Pubble-brian, and Small County, which are again subdivided into 126 parishes.

According to the ecclesiastical arrangements of the country, the county of Limerick comprehends portions of the dioceses of Limerick, Emly, Killaloe, and Cashel. The whole of the first named of these dioceses, a small portion excepted, is within the county; eighty-five of the parishes which constitute it being within its limits, and three only in the county of Clare. This see is one of the few which is unaffected by the changes introduced into the ecclesiastical divisions of Ireland by the late consolidation or the bishoprics. It is still, as before, to continue united with those of Ardfert and Aghadoe in Kerry. Its revenue is estimated at L.5369 per annum. The cathedral, an ancient and venerable pile, stands in the city of Limerick; and the bishop’s palace, a modern mansion, is situated 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 and six vicars-choral connected with it. The see of Emly, united with that of Cashel, has thirty-eight parishes in the county of Limerick, and twenty in that of Tipperary. The seat of the see is in the latter county. One parish of the diocese of Cashel, and two of that of Killaloe, are within the limits of the county of Limerick.

The face of the country, though diversified by numerous small hills, is not mountainous, except on the southeast, where it is bounded by the Galtees, a ridge of considerable extent, and 2500 feet high at its most elevated point, extending 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 Drumcol-logh. The only river of any size is the Maig, which rises in the Galtees, and discharges itself into the Shannon west of Limerick. It is navigable by barges as far as the town of Adare. A plan to make this river available for the purpose of connecting the cities of Limerick and Cork, by an inland navigation from Adare to Mallow on the Blackwater, has not been carried into effect. The Feale and the Gale, 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. Its only lake is Lough Gur, about five miles in circumference, and studded with several small islands.

The soil in the level parts is considered as the richest in Ireland. 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 corcachs, 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 floetz limestone plain of Ireland; but the mountainous district in the south and west consists chiefly of sandstone. A mine of coal or culm is worked at Loghill, but it is found to be better adapted for kilns than for domestic use. At Castleconnel, a town beautifully situated, is a mineral spa of great celebrity from its sanative effects. It is of the same quality as the Poutron at Spa.

The state of the population, at the different periods at which returns respecting it have been made, together with the authorities on which those returns depend, is as follows :—
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The returns from the commissioners of public instruction in 1834, being made in dioceses instead of counties, [7:13:349]cannot be rendered available in this and the subsequent 'statement. The return of 1831 gives an average of one inhabitant to every two acres and eighty-eight hundred parts of the county in general, and to every two acres and thirty-five hundred parts of that portion of its land which is capable of profitable cultivation.

The state of education in 1821 and 1824-26 was as follows :—
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Of the numbers in the latter of these statements, 2064 were Protestants of the established church, 27,735 were Roman Catholics, and 45 were dissenters; but the religious persuasion of 244 was not ascertained. The total number of seliools was 461; of which 27, affording education to 2841 children, were maintained by grants of public money; 29, educating 3274 children, were supported by the voluntary contributions of societies or individuals, and the remaining 405 schools, in which 24,040 children were educated, depended wholly on the fees of the pupils.

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 has 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. Still, however, the agricultural produce is considerable. Wheat, barley, oats, and rape, are raised in large quantities. In the year 1709, a colony of Palatines brôught from Germany by Lord Southwell settled near Bruff, Rathkeale, and Adarc. 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 horses are of large size, strong, active, and generally well bred; the heaviest and fattest beasts slaughtered in the southern markets are reared in this county. The sheep are also of a good description, but they are not bred here. Hogs of large size are sent to the same markets. The exportation of cattle and grain is very considerable, constituting the main source of the wealth of the inhabitants. The Shannon, which here assumes the character rather of an estuary of the ocean than of an inland river, supplies marine fish, both round and flat, in great abundance. Pike, carp, tench, trout of large size, and salmon highly esteemed for its flavour, are caught in most of the rivers.

The manners of the people are similar to those in other parts of the province. Their habits are almost exclusively agricultural. Their dwellings are poor, their food chiefly the potato; their fuel is turf, except near the collieries at Loghill, and in the immediate neighbourhood of the city, where British coal is much used. The Irish language is still spoken by the peasantry in their colloquial intercourse, but the English is universally understood and spoken, excepting perhaps in some of the more retired mountain districts.

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 the abbey of Adare.

The city of Limerick, the capital of the county, is situated on the Shannon, about 100 miles from its mouth, partly 7 on an island and partly on the main land. It is the third city in Ireland in population and importance, being surpassed in these respects only by Dublin and Cork. The number of its inhabitants in 1821 and 1831 was 59,045 and 66,575 respectively. The city consists of three principal divisions; the Irish town, the 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. 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 the utmost geometrical precision. The city was formerly considered as the strongest place in Ireland. In 1174 it was taken by the English, but shortly afterwards evacuated by them, 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 Ki ng William, who conducted the siege in person; but it surrendered on terms the next year to General Ginckel, 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 Thomond Bridge is worthy of notice from its antiquity, and Wellesley Bridge, lately erected, still more so, as being one of the finest specimens 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 seven Roman Catholic places of worship. The methodists, presbyterians, baptists, independents, and quakers, have each a meeting-house. The court-house is a handsome building. The prison is constructed according to the modern improvements in prison discipline. The other more remarkable public buildings are the Tholsel, which is ornamented with a Tuscan colonnade, the custom-house, the commercial buildings, and the lunatic asylum. 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 city officers at present are, the mayor, two sheriffs, a recorder, four charter justices, to which the lord chancellor is empowered to add six more, and a common council, whose number fluctuates from thirty-seven to forty. This body is self-elective. It has also a military governor, constable, and town-major, and is a permanent rmlitary station. The jurisdiction of the city extends over a considerable space, the city and liberties comprehending twenty-one parishes or parts of parishes. One of the principal public institutions is the Chamber of Commerce, incorporated by charter and act of parliament. It is possessed of considerable property, a savings bank, and a mechanics’ institute consisting of about 200 members. The charitable endowments are nu [7:13:350]merous, and some of them extensive. They are, the house of industry, which supports an average number of 336; the lunatic asylum, fever hospital, lying-in hospital, Magdalen asylum, dispensary, Barrington’s hospital, Villars’s alms-house, asylum for the blind, Hall’s alms-houses, the forty-shillings alms-houses, Craven’s charity, Mrs Rose’s charity, and the jubilee, Pery, and London tavern loan funds. The trade of this place is extensive, and various linen, woollen, cotton, and paper manufactures are carried on in it. Several breweries, distilleries, and saltworks, find permanent employment. The exports chiefly consist of provisions and grain. The imports are, coal, turf, for the carrying of which from Clare and Kerry, 200 barges of twenty tons each are employed; timber, wine, spirits, and all the articles of British and foreign production which the wants or luxuries of a numerous and well-employed population require. Vessels of 400 tons’ burden ride at the quay. 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. The estimated value of the exports and imports for 1832 was, exports L.l,005,727, imports L.289,596. Large quantities of merchandise are brought by the Grand Canal from Dublin.

The number of vessels that have cleared outwards from the port during a period of five years is as follows:
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Eleven vessels, of about 1760 tons in all, belonged to Limerick ship owners in 1832.

The other towns of some note in the county are, Rathkeale, Shanagolden, Ballingarry, Newcastle, Adare, As-keyton, and Castleconnel. 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, so durably constructed of cut stone, that their ruins have induced some modern topographers to distinguish the place, somewhat quaintly, by the title of the Irish Balbec.

Limerick is also the name of a fair-town in the county of Wexfordand province of Leinster; the fairs are four in the year.