St. Mary's Park (Limerick) facts for kids

St. Mary's Park is a neighborhood in Limerick, Ireland. It's a place where many homes were built by the city for people to live in. You can find it on the northern part of King's Island, in an area often called the Island Field. This area is just north of Limerick's old city center, which is known as Englishtown and sits on the southern half of King's Island.

Long ago, in medieval times (a very old period in history), people could get to the Island Field from the walled city of Englishtown through a special gate called Island Gate. St. Mary's Park was finished on August 19, 1935. It is one of the oldest neighborhoods built by the city council in Limerick. The first families who moved here came from crowded and less suitable housing areas in Lady's Lane, Parnell Street, and Palmerstown.

What You'll Find in St. Mary's Park

St. Mary's Park today has many different features:

• There are 463 houses in total. About 59% (273 houses) are owned by families, and 41% (190 houses) are owned by the local city council.
• The neighborhood stretches for about 2 kilometers along the Shannon and Abbey rivers. There's a special wall, called an embankment, to stop flooding. This wall also makes a nice path for walking along the river.
• There's a "Special Area of Conservation" covering 10.7 hectares (about 26 acres) along the eastern side of the Island. This area protects nature along the banks of the Abbey and Shannon rivers.
• Two soccer clubs have fields here, covering 3 hectares (about 7.4 acres). They rent these spaces from the Limerick City Council.
• There's a community center in the southwest part of the area, with a childcare center next to it.
• The area also has many open spaces, which are low-lying and could be improved for community use.

A Look at the Community

St. Mary's Park is known as one of the areas in Limerick City that faces more challenges. Since 2017, it has been identified as one of the most disadvantaged areas in Ireland by the Pobal index. This means that many families here face difficulties, such as finding jobs or completing their education.

Because of these challenges, St. Mary's Park, along with other areas like Moyross, Southill, and Ballinacurra Weston, is part of a special plan called a "regeneration process." The main goal of this plan is to make the area a better and more hopeful place for everyone who lives there.

History of the Island Field

The neighborhood was built in the early 1930s. At that time, it was considered a very good place to live. People often call the area "The Island Field" because it is built on King's Island. This island is connected to the rest of Limerick by two important bridges: Thomond Bridge and Baal's Bridge.