County Limerick, Ireland Genealogy

County Limerick is located on the western side of Ireland with the River Shannon forming its northern boundary and it part of the province of Munster. The name Limerick is derived from the Irish name ' Luimneach' meaning ‘bare ground.’ Its greatest length is 50 miles from the boundary at Galtmore to near Abbeyfeale and has an area of about 1030 square miles.

The Celts came to this area in 400 BC. Later in the fifth century, several Christian monasteries were established. The Vikings took control of Limerick City in the mid-ninth century followed by the Normans in the twelfth century. Limerick was formerly established in 1210. A large rebellion in the sixteenth century. To make the County more English, settlers came Limerick in 1598 as part of the Plantation of Munster, which wasn’t very successful. German settlers were brought to Limerick in 1709 from the Rhine Palatinate.

A local potatoe famine in 1820 followed by the great famine in 1845-47, had a terrible impact. In 1821, the population was 277,477. It increased to 330,029 in 1841, but began to decrease thereafter. In 1851, it was 262,132 and was only 143,000 in 1911. In 2006, the population was 184,055. Limerick is predominately Roman Catholic. In 1861, 96.4% of the population were Roman Catholic with 3.3% of the Church of Ireland, 0.10% Presbyterians and 0.2% Methodists. There were small variations over the years, but it remain fairly constant. In 1911, 97.08% were Roman Catholic with 2.44% Church of Ireland, 0.13% Presbyterians and 0.2% Methodists.

General County Research Information
Further information about County Limerick is available at the GenUKI Limerick site.