LIMERICK, lim'e-rik, Ireland, a city and civic county, capital of Limerick County, at the interior extremity of the estuary of the Shannon, 120 miles by rail southwest of Dub lin. It consists of three portions connected by five bridges, English Town on King's Island, and Irish Town and Newtown Perry or New Town on either side of the river. Limerick is of very ancient foundation, being mentioned by Ptolemy as Regia. The principal buildings are the Episcopal and Roman Catholic cathedrals, custom-house, chamber of commerce, town-hall, exchange, assembly house and linen hall. The manufactures include the curing of bacon, the preparation of butterine and the making of army clothing and fish hooks. There are, besides, distilleries, breweries, tanneries, corn mills, a patent slip for vessels of 500 tons, and a large graving dock for vessels up tb 2,500 tons and a floating dock for vessels of 3,000 tons. Limerick is the leading port on the west coast for the shipment of raw produce. Bacon, butter, oats, salmon, condensed milk, are the chief articles of export and grain, petroleum and sugar the chief imports. Lime rick is the seat of a consular agent of the United States. The harbor, naturally a fine one, has been improved at a considerable outlay. The strategic position of Limerick rendered its capture extremely important to the Danes, who arrived in the 9th century and practically founded the city and port. They held posses sion of it until the closing years of the 10th century when Brian Born weakened them sufficiently to exact a yearly tribute. It passed defin,itely to Irish hands after the rout of the Danes at Clontarf in April 1014. The Norman English occupied the city soon after their ar rival in 1172 and in 1210 King John visited it and erected fortifications. Edward Bruce led
his forces against it in 1314 and while only partially successful burned a great part of the city. The Catholic party supporting Charles I against the Parliamentarians occupied Limerick in 1641 but were obliged to surrender to Ireton in 1651. In the Revolutionary War of 1688-91 Limerick was the scene of the last stand of the Irish forces under Sarsfield who supported the house of Stuart. After the disasters of the Boyne, Athlone and Aughrim, Sarsfield was besieged in Limerick by William's army under Ginkel. The defense was brilliant and success ful, and after a train of siege artillery had been intercepted and destroyed by Sarsfield on its way to the city, an armistice was proposed by William, after which a treaty was signed under the terms of which Irish Catholics were to be permitted the free exercise of their religion, and those who so desired were permitted to leave the country. The greater part of Sars field's force immediately departed for France, where they formed the nucleus of the famous Irish Brigade. William's adherents soon forced him to violate many provisions of the treaty, particularly that granting to Catholics the free exercise of their faith, and an era of persecu tion was soon ushered in. In Irish history, Limerick is known as °the City of the Violated Treaty.° The Stone° marks the spot where the treaty was signed. Pop. 38,518. Consult Begley, 'Diocese of Limerick, An cient and Mediaeval' (Dublin 1905) and Leni han, Maurice, (Limerick: Its History and Antiquities' (2d ed., ib. 1884).