You should see a commanding grey stone building defined by a massive entrance of towering classical columns, topped with stone statues standing watch on the triangular roof. If you check out the image on your screen, you can see this grand structure, the old Franciscans Friary, which became the museum's home in May twenty seventeen.
The Limerick Museum is a bit of a wanderer. It was founded in nineteen oh seven and originally housed in the Carnegie Free Library over in Pery Square, which we explored a little while ago. It stayed there until nineteen seventy-five, and then proceeded to move four more times before finally unpacking its bags here.
Today, it holds a staggering sixty-two thousand objects. Inside, the collection is wonderfully eclectic. You can find the largest meteorite ever to fall on the British Isles, which crashed down in nearby Adare. There is a beautifully preserved gentleman's suit from around seventeen oh six, and the leather scabbard used by the revolutionary Lord Edward Fitzgerald when he was arrested in seventeen ninety-eight. It is quite the historical attic. They even have a rare, intact Codd-neck bottle, which was an ingenious Victorian glass bottle designed with a marble inside to seal early carbonated drinks.
The museum is usually open Monday through Saturday from ten A-M to five P-M, closing for a bit on Saturday afternoons and taking Sundays off. It is a fantastic place to lose yourself in the quirky layers of the city's past. Enjoy browsing the quirky collection, and when you are ready, we can wander toward our next stop.
