The greater part of the county is comparatively level, and rests on limestone, but in the south-east the picturesque Galtees, which extend into Tipperary, and are composed of Silurian strata overlaid by Old Red Sandstone, attain in Galtymore a height of 3015 feet, and on the west stretching into Kerry there is a circular amphitheatre of less elevated mountains composed of volcanic rocks. The Shannon is navigable to Limerick, above which are the rapids of Dυonas and Castleroy. The Maig, which rises in the Galtees, and flows into the Shannon, is navigable as far as the town of Adare. Limerick includes the greater part of the Golden Vale, the most fertile district of Ireland, which stretches «across the centre of the county from Cashel in Tipperary to near the town of Limerick. Along the banks of the Shannon there are large tracts of flat meadow land formed of deposits of calcareous and peaty matter, and possessing extraordinary fertility. The soil in the mountainous districts is, for the most part, thin and poor, and incapable of improvement. In 1880 there were 176,774 acres under tillage, 415,107 pasture, 8407 plantations, and 62,465 waste. The total number of holdings in 1880 was 16,286, of which 1937 were less than one acre, and 11,273 between 15 and 100 acres in extent, 1019 between 100 and 200 acres, 259 between 200 and 500 acres, and 29 above 1000 acres. The large farms occupy the low grounds, and are almost wholly devoted to grazing. The following table shows the area under the principal crops in 1855 and 1881 :— [table]

The table shows a remarkable increase in the area under meadow, notwithstanding which the total area under tillage has considerably decreased. The number of horses his, since 1855, declined from 17,206 to 15,389, of which 10,228 were used for agricultural purposes. Cattle have increased from 159,710 to 201,456, an average of 28 to every 100 acres under cultivation, the average for Ireland being 25 ’ 8. The number of cows was 95,225. Sheep have diminished from 80,914 to 50,599, and pigs from 61,733 to 48,801. The number of goats was 10,012, and of poultry 428,398.

According to the corrected return of 1878, the land, exclusive of that in the county of the city of Limerick, was divided among 1676 proprietors, possessing 660,386 acres, of the annual value of .£461,213, or 13s. lid. per acre. Of the owners nearly 40 per cent, possessed less than 1 acre, the average extent being 394. The following were the largest proprietors :—Earl of Devon, 33,026; Earl of Dunraven, 14,298; Lord Ashton, 11,273; Archdeacon Goold, 10,966; Lady Louisa Fitzgibbon, 10,316; Sir Croker Barrington, 9485.

Manufactures.— The inhabitants are employed chiefly in agriculture, but coarse woollens are manufactured, and also paper, and there are a considerable number of meal and flour mills. At one time there were a number of flaxspinning and weaving mills, but that industry is now almost wholly extinct.

Administration an I Population.— Tlr; county includes 14 baronies, 131 parishes, 2067 townlands, and the city and parliamentary borough of Limerick. The number of members returned to the Irish parliament was eight, two being returned for each of the boroughs of Askeaton and Kilιnallock, in addition to the two returned as at present for the county, and the two returned for the county of the city of Limerick. There are three poor-law unions wholly withiιι the county, and portions of four others. Assizes are held at Limerick, and quarter sessions at Bruff, Limerick, Newcastle, and Rathkeale. The county is within the Cork military district, with a brigade dépôt at Tralee. The population, estimated in 1760 at 92,376, had increased in 1821 to 277,477, and in 1841 to 331,003, but since that period it has been gradually diminishing, being 217,277 in 1861, and in 1881 only 177,203, of whom 86,541 were males and 90,662 females. The decrease since 1871 has been 7 ’ 7 per cent., the decrease per cent, in Ireland being 4’7. Besides the city of Limerick, with a population in 1881 of 48,246, only two other towns, Rathkeale and Newcastle, had a population of over 2000. From 1st May 1851 to 31st December 1880 the number of emigrants from the county was 130,333, a proportion of 60 per cent, of the population in 1861.

History and Antiquities.— Limerick, originally inhabited by the Coriondi, was included in the kingdom of Thomond. Afterwards it had .a separate existence under the name of Aine-Cliach. From the 8th to the 11th century it was partly occupied by the Danes. By Henry II. it was granted to Henry Fitzherbert, but his claim was afterwards resigned, and subsequently various Anglo-Norman settlements were made. About 100,000 acres of the estates of the earl of Desmond, which were forfeited in 1586, were situated in the county, and other extensive confiscations took place after the Cromwellian wars. In 1709 a German colony from the Palatinate was settled by Lord Southwell near Bruff, Rathkeale, and Adare.

There are only slight remains of the round tower at Ardpatrick, but that at Carrigeen is much better preserved. There are important remains of stone circles, pillar stones, and altars on Loch Gur. In several places there are remains of old moats and tumuli. Besides the monasteries in the city of Limerick, the most important monastic ruins are those of Adare Abbey, Askeaton Abbey, Kil-shane Abbey, Galbally Friary, Kilflin Monastery, Kilmallock Abbey, and Monaster-Nenagh Abbey. See the History of Limerick by Fitzgerald and M‘Gregor, 1826-27.

Limekick, a county of a city, parliamentary borough, and the chief town of the county of Limerick, is situated on both sides of the Shannon, at the head of its estuary, and on an island of the river, 120 miles west-south-west of Dublin by rail. The western bank of the river is occupied by Irish Town, the island by English Town, and the eastern bank by Newtown Pery,—the two former divisions consisting chiefly of mean houses occupied by the poorer classes, and Newtown Pery including the principal streets, shops, and public buildings. The different parts of the town are connected by several bridges, the most important of which is Wellesley bridge, erected in 1827 at a cost of £85,000. The cathedral of St Mary, founded in 1180, and rebuilt in

1490, is a cruciform structure in the Gothic style, with an embattled tower 120 feet in height. A Roman Catholic cathedral in the First Pointed style was erected in 1860. The other principal public buildings are the court-house, the custom-house, the exchange, the chamber of commerce, the town-hall, the county jail, the city jail, the infirmary, and Barrington’s hospital. There are barracks for cavalry, artillery, and infantry. Limerick as a port occupies the fourth position in Ireland, and, while possessing secure and open communication with the Atlantic, is included in a vast network of inland navigation. Vessels of 1000 tons can unload at the floating dock, and vessels of 500 tons at the quays. A graving dock, admitting vessels of 1500 tons for repair, has lately been constructed. The value of the imports in 1880 was £837,269, the average for the four years 1876-79 being £940,279, and, for 1872-75 £873,533. Γor the same dates the value of the exports was £26,569, £9552, and £12,516. The principal industries are flax spinning and weaving, and the manufacture of lace and gloves. There are also breweries, distilleries, tanneries, and flour-mills. The population in 1851 was 48,961, which in 1871 had increased to 49,980, but in 1881 had diminished to 48,246.

Limerick is said to have been the ancient Regia of Ptolemy and the Rosse-de-Naillcagh of the Annals of Multifernan. There is a tradition that it was visited by St Patrick in the 5th century, but it is first authentically known as a settlement of the Danes, who in the middle of the 9th century made it one of their principal towns, but were expelled from it in the 11th century by Brian Boroimhe. From 1106 till its conquest by the English in 1174 it was the seat of the kings of Thomond or North Munster, and, although in 1179 the kingdom of Limerick was given by Henry II. to Herbert Fitzherbert, the city was frequently in the possession of the Irish chieftains till 1195. By King John it was committed to the care of William de Burgo, who founded English Town, and for its defence erected a strong castle. The city was frequently besieged in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the 15th century its fortifications were extended to include Irish Town, and until their demolition in 1760 it was one of the strongest fortresses of the kingdom. In 1651 it was taken by General Ireton, and after an unsuccessful siege by William III. in 1690 its resistance was terminated in October of the following year by the treaty of Limerick. The town first obtained municipal privileges in 1199, and these were confirmed and extended by Edward I. and other sovereigns. In 1609 it received a charter constituting it a county of a city, and also incorporating a society of merchants of the staple, with the same privileges as the merchants of the staple of Dublin and Waterford. The powers of the corporation were remodelled by the Limerick Regulation Act of 1823. The prosperity of the city dates chiefly from the foundation of Newtown Pery by Mr Sexton Pery in 1769. It returns two members to parliament. See the History by Linahan, 1866.