Brian's observations on Limerick

Special Note: Although this appears as my blog, it is all Brian Grimm (this should be obvious, as he is so much wittier than I am.) It was attached to a word document that I am working on for my Ireland webpage. It is much too charming not to post. Enjoy! :o)


Castle, Cathedral, Quaint, Castle, Cathedral, Quaint….repeat

Limerick was, for me, the best part of our trip. While in Dublin we were often greeted with looks of confusion and dismay when we told folks we were headed to Limerick. “Why on earth are you going there?” was a common refrain.

Apparently good ol’ Limerick has a nastier reputation than my high school classmate, Sarah Lingenfalter. The Irish refer to it as “Stab-Town”. This title (much like Sarah’s) was not entirely accurate.

Limerick is a town on the upswing. They are shaking off many years of a manufacturing and industrial economy and are slowly but surely teaching their fellow countrymen a valuable lesson------What we have been in the past is not what we will be in the future. In a country steeped in tradition, it is good to see a group of people (an entire town) claim their future by declaring that their past does not define them. What a powerful choice these folks are making. It seems we can all learn a lesson from Limerick.

The Irish are full of ……Wit and wisdom. Even the sugar packets in several of the restaurants contained aphorisms about life. It is amazing what may be learned from condiments these days.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. Limerick, what about the bawdy poetry? Well, with all due respect to the man from Nantucket, we opted to compose a few Limericks (of a more respectable content) while in town. We will be posting those soon.

We did meet several little “rock-stars” on the bus in Limerick. While pleasantly cruising along on the city bus, we heard several loud thuds. A quick glance out the window, revealed a group of miniature hooligans (if you will let me steal from the Irish vernacular). These red-headed little angels had taken it upon themselves to throw stones at the passing buses (and I thought I needed a hobby!). Thank goodness there are no glass houses in Limerick.

The motivation for the attack on the bus was unclear, but even more interesting was the explanation from other bus enthusiasts. “They’re just kids.” Explained one young lady. They seemed amused that we were even phased.

Overall, the people were extraordinarily friendly (again, they even offered us free rocks on the bus----can’t beat that!). When we asked directions as we exited our bus, a wonderful elderly woman refused to just tell us. She insisted on showing us. She was charming and sweet and overly kind. The folks at our hotel were extraordinarily helpful. Jessica, our receptionist, was polite, cheerful, and told us a great deal about the family gang issues that plague Limerick. She put our minds at ease and explained that the gang style family feuds are contained to a small group of individuals. It is sad that all of Limerick must work extra hard to overcome the reputation earned by a few misguided individuals who find a twisted, unrealistic and socially retarded honor in inflicting violence on each other in the name of a family or a turf.

As for the sights in Limerick and surrounding areas, we did it all (or at least as much as we could possible do). My favorite adventure was a trip to a folk park. The park allowed us to walk through a traditional Irish village with thatched roof cottages, mills, manor houses, pubs, offices, gardens, livestock (don’t tell the customs officials) and all. We were up close and personal with tradition Irish life from a bygone era.