Economy of Limerick

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Riverpoint Building, Limerick RiverPointLimerickIreland.JPG
Riverpoint Building, Limerick

Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland [1] and is the capital of Ireland's Mid-West Region comprising the counties of Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary. Traditionally Limerick's economy was mainly agricultural of which a lot of industry in the city was based around due to the city's proximity to the Golden Vale. Important industries at this time were the bacon industry and Limerick lace which provided much employment. Limerick Port was also the main port on the west of Ireland where much this produce was exported. Today Limerick's economy is driven by a cluster of industrial and business parks located along the Limerick/Shannon corridor which include the National Technology Park, Raheen Business Park and the Shannon Free Zone. Limerick/Shannon is also classified as a gateway city as part of the National Spatial Strategy.

Contents

Statistics

County Clare, County Limerick and Tipperary as part of the Mid-West region with a population of 473,269 [2] has a GVA of €16,448m (2016). [3] According to the Central Statistics Office, in 2016, the region had a GDP per capita of €42,567. [4]

Most of the industry in the Mid-West is concentrated around the Limerick urban area and the Shannon Free Zone, centred on the Limerick Suburban Rail network.

The main urban centres in the region are the Limerick urban area (94,192 inhabitants), [5] then Ennis (25,276), [6] Shannon (9,729), [7] Nenagh (8,968), [8] Thurles (7,940), [9] Newcastle West (6,619). [10]

Limerick is the second largest city in the province of Munster and Ireland's third largest city according to the 2011 census carried out by the CSO.

As of 2015, 14,500 people were working in 116 overseas companies in the area, [11] including Dell, Vistakon (Johnson & Johnson), Cook Medical, Northern Trust, Lufthansa Technik, Optel Vision, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Element Six, Molex, WP Engine, ACI Worldwide, Edwards Lifesciences, General Motors, Becton Dickinson, Jaguar Land Rover, First Data, Intel, and GE Capital Services. [12]

There are two main third-level institutions, University of Limerick and Limerick Institute of Technology which have a combined population of over 20,000 students.

Shannon Free Zone

The Shannon Free Zone is a 600-acre (2.4 km2) site in County Clare, located 15 minutes from Ennis and 20 minutes from Limerick city. Over 7,500 are employed in the business park, making it one of the biggest in the state and a huge employment hub in the region.[ citation needed ]

Companies located there include Avocent, GE Capital, Ingersoll Rand, Intel, Lufthansa Technik, Mentor Graphics, Molex, Shannon Aerospace, Shannon Engine Support, RSA Security and Veritas Software, Genworth, First Names Group, Pepper, and the IDA.

Shannon Airport

Shannon Airport ( IATA : SNN, ICAO : EINN) is the key piece of infrastructure in the region[ citation needed ] and is important for companies in the region to have easy access to other international markets by using the airport.[ citation needed ]

The airport is the 3rd busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland with 1.75 million passengers in 2017.

Business parks

There are a number of IDA business parks in the Mid-West region, including the National Technology Park and Raheen Business Park in Limerick. In Ennis, a 30-acre (120,000 m2) business park is currently[ when? ] under development and called Information Park Ennis.[ needs update ]

Westpark Shannon

Westpark is a business park set on 40 acres of land in Shannon. The park has approximately 50 companies with 2,000 employees. [13] The project has cost 65 million euro.[ citation needed ]

National Technology Park

The National Technology Park is located just outside Limerick city adjacent to the Dublin motorway and University of Limerick. It covers 300 hectares and hosts approximately 80 companies employing 3,000 people. [14]

Service industry

Limerick is the main retail centre in the Mid-West. The Crescent Shopping Centre in Dooradoyle is the largest shopping centre in Ireland outside of Dublin and the largest in Munster. The shopping centre expanded in the early 2000s to become one of the largest in Ireland. There are also a number of other retail outlets in Limerick including the city centre.

Infrastructure

Infrastrctural projects in the area include the Limerick Tunnel, which opened in 2010.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Munster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings". Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into counties for administrative and judicial purposes. In later centuries, local government legislation has seen further sub-division of the historic counties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limerick</span> City in Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leinster</span> Traditional province in the east of Ireland

Leinster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Clare</span> County in Ireland

County Clare is a county in the Southern part of the republic of Ireland, in the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 127,938 at the 2022 census. The county seat and largest settlement is Ennis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Limerick</span> County in mid-western Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ennis</span> County town of County Clare, Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon, County Clare</span> Town in County Clare, Ireland

Shannon or Shannon Town, named after the river near which it stands, is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It was given town status on 1 January 1982. The town is located just off the N19 road, a spur of the N18/M18 road between Limerick and Ennis. It is the location of Shannon Airport, an international airport serving the Clare/Limerick region in the west of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rathkeale</span> Town in County Limerick, Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrickswell</span> Town in County Limerick, Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croagh</span> Village in mid County Limerick, Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunratty</span> Village in County Clare, Ireland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanagolden, County Limerick</span> Village in County Limerick, Ireland

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References

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  2. "Central Statistics Office - Census 2016 Small Area Population Statistics". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  3. "Table 9: GVA per Region at Current Market Prices (GDP), 2007 to 2016". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  4. "Table 9a: GDP per person 2007 to 2016". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
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  6. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Ennis. Theme 1: Sex, Age and Marital Status. Population aged 0 - 19 by sex and year of age, population aged 20+ by sex and age group". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  7. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Shannon. Theme 1: Sex, Age and Marital Status. Population aged 0 - 19 by sex and year of age, population aged 20+ by sex and age group". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
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  9. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Thurles. Theme 1: Sex, Age and Marital Status. Population aged 0 - 19 by sex and year of age, population aged 20+ by sex and age group". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  10. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Newcastle West. Theme 1: Sex, Age and Marital Status. Population aged 0 - 19 by sex and year of age, population aged 20+ by sex and age group". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  11. "Infographic: Invest in Limerick". IDA Ireland. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  12. "Location. Companies in the area". IDA Ireland. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  13. "Meet the Companies at Westpark - Westpark Shannon".
  14. "National Technology Park Limerick - IDA Ireland Connect & Invest Limerick". Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.