Limerick is the county town of County Limerick at the head of the estuary of the River Shannon near the Slieve Felim and Silvermine Mountains. It is 77 miles northwest of Waterford and 125 miles southwest of Dublin.

Limerick is Ireland's chief western port for shipping farm produce to England and the Continent. It was founded in 798 by the Danes, who built a fortified camp on the island. The kings of Thomond and Munster used Limerick for their chief city until it was conquered by the English in 1174.