Limerick City

Before you ask, there's no direct connection between Limerick City and the facetious five-line verse form known as a "limerick," which was first popularized by the English writer Edward Lear in his 1846 Book of Nonsense. The city, at the head of the Shannon Estuary and at the intersection of a number of major crossroads, is an industrial port and the republic's third-largest city (population 75,000). If you fly into or out of Shannon Airport, and have a few hours to spare, do take a look around. The attractions around the cathedral and the castle are linked by a riverside footpath, while the western part of the town center is dominated by mid-18th-century buildings with fine Georgian proportions. What's more, the city has undergone considerable revitalization since the days recounted in Frank McCourt's famed childhood memoir, Angela's Ashes. Limerick was Ireland's first national City of Culture in 2014, resulting in ongoing intensified activity in the arts sector.