Limerick, city in the southwestern Ireland, county borough of county Limerick, at the head of the estuary of the Shannon River. Limerick's chief industries produce flour, textiles, lace, and food products. The city is divided into English Town, on King's Island; Irish Town, which includes the oldest part of the city (dating from the 9th-century Norse settlement), and lies to the south of the river; and Newtown-Pery, to the south of Irish Town, dating from 1769. The city received its charter in 1197. Population (1996) 79,000.
