The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Limerick

Monument dedicated to the dockworkers

The castle is amazing and there is something to discover everywhere

King John's Castle (Irish: Caisleán Luimnigh) also known as Limerick Castle is a 13th-century castle located on King's Island in Limerick, Ireland, next to the River Shannon. Although the site dates back to 922 when the Vikings lived on the Island, the castle itself was built on the orders of King John of England in 1200. Some of the external walls, towers and fortifications remain, and the site is open for visitors. The remains of a Viking settlement were uncovered during archaeological excavations at the site in 1900. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_John%27s_Castle_(Limerick)

There is an entry fee to see inside. The grounds and the church are interesting outside for those unfamiliar with more than 300 years of history.

The Shannon Bridge, also termed the "New Bridge", as it is the most recent of the three bridges across the River Shannon in the city centre. It was built in the late 1980s. Nicknamed the "Whistling Bridge" in the time after its opening, as until mesh was retro-fitted to the railings along the bridge, the wind up the estuary caused a whistling noise.

Aside from the Dockers sculpture, most of Duhan’s work as an artist revolves around the naked human figure. He remembers his time at Limerick City School of Art with fondness, he says, but he is mostly self-taught, acquiring his skills as and when needed to fulfil his vision. From 1982, he taught at the National College of Art and Design, but he retired six years ago, when he turned sixty. “I used to finish work at the college around 4.30pm, then I’d go to my studio in Temple Bar and work away until midnight, unless I caught a pint on the way home. Now I have my own studio at home, and I can work away all day if I want.”

Technology has long since replaced the need for human labour on the docks, with most of the unloading of cargo ships being done by cranes. But there were many former dockers among the hundreds that gathered for the unveiling of the sculpture by the Mayor of Limerick Kevin Keily on 18th June 2010. Mike Duhan's river-side sculpture. Mike Duhan's river-side sculpture. Duhan admits to having missed the occasion. “There was a mix-up with a car,” he says. “But my brother Johnny was there to represent me. Johnny’s a songwriter; he performed that song he wrote for Christy Moore, The Voyage, and I think everyone was very happy with that. I finally made it down in time for the after-party.” The reaction to the sculpture has been overwhelmingly positive. “I’m told it’s the most photographed object in Limerick city,” says Duhan. “But an artist is never really finished with his work. I’d still love to go down with an angle grinder and smooth out some edges I’m not happy with.”

The two figures he proposed to keep were those carrying a plank. “I built the figures out of clay, and then I made the moulds and brought them down to the foundry on the back of my bike. Leo Higgins oversaw the casting in bronze. The process is very labour-intensive, and very expensive, so I hardly saw any money out of the commission. It was important to me that there would be a few shovels and a bollard in the finished piece, so I made those at my own expense, as my contribution to the project.” Both of the figures in the sculpture wear belts, and Duhan inscribed his father’s name – John Duhan – on one. “The big leather belts were very important to the dockers. They’d often work ten to twelve hours a day, unloading the boats, and the belts helped save their backs from harm. It was brutal work. My father tried it once, but he only lasted half a day. He went away to sea after that; even that was an easier life, he reckoned.”