Economy of Limerick facts for kids
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland 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.
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National Technology Park
The park is located just outside Limerick city adjacent to the Dublin motorway and University of Limerick.
It covers 300 hectares and hosts some 80 companies employing 3,000 people.
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.
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, IDA and many others.
Westpark Shannon
It is a new modern business park set on 40 acres of land in Shannon.
The park has 50 companies with 2,000 employees.
The project has cost 65 million euro.
Shannon Airport
Shannon Airport is the key piece of infrastructure in the region and is extremely important for companies in the region to have easy access to other international markets by using the airport.
The airport is the 3rd busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland with 1.63 million passengers in 2011.
Business parks
The IDA business parks in the Mid-West region are:
- National Technology Park -325 Hectare (800 acres) - on the campus of the University of Limerick
- Raheen Business Park - 178 Hectare (440 acres).
- A new 30-acre (120,000 m2) Business Park is currently under development called Information Park Ennis with Building 1 now complete. Other buildings, to be completed, will provide a total 4,185 sq m/45,000 sq ft of office and incubation space.
A range of privately owned properties are also available in Ennis.
Thurles:
- Tipperary Technology Park is a fully serviced park with a Business Incubation Centre and manufacturing and office accommodation.
Infrastructure
Infrastrctural projects in the area include the Limerick Tunnel, which opened in 2010.
