Limerick City Centre

During orientation, we were given a bus tour of town. The first words out of the driver’s mouth were, “Welcome to Limerick. Did you bring your bulletproof vests?” (I thought I was supposed to be FURTHER from Detroit.) The driver then assured us that there wasn’t much to worry about, the city is just in the midst of a drug war between two gangs. Then, he sprinkled the rest of the tour with information on helpful landmarks, accompanied by colorful descriptions of shootings and/or other crimes that had happened recently at each one. The story of the week was this little number: http://www.herald.ie/national-news/little-girl-injured-by-maniac-carjacker-2505764.html

Then, out of nowhere we pull up at King John’s Castle, on the River Shannon, which is beautiful. 

This tour left me feeling a bit unsettled, but when I actually went to explore Limerick myself, I felt it was much safer than it was cracked up to be. I'm known to have a keen (some would argue paranoid) sense of danger, but I just wasn't feeling it here. When we asked someone on the bus into City Centre about the safety, they said to keep your head down and mind your own business. Following that advice, I got off the bus and realized just after a few blocks that I love this city.

 

I love this mural. It was on one of the many side streets I ventured down.

 

There was Munster Rugby pride everywhere. After looking around the city, we went to a sports pub to watch the rugby game on TV. Learning the rules of the sport is something I need to work on.