When you land at Dublin Airport, your driver will already be waiting at your specific arrivals gate, holding a card with your name on it, ready to bring you to your air-conditioned car. If your flight is delayed, they wait. There are no calls to make and no scrambling for a cab.
It’s a private, comfortable transfer to Limerick - bottled water and WiFi on board for the roughly 2-hour drive, and the vehicle is yours alone the whole way.
Limerick sits on the River Shannon and its medieval core is more compact and walkable than many visitors expect. King John’s Castle right on the riverbank is one of the best-preserved Anglo-Norman castles in Ireland and a good first stop - the exhibitions inside give a solid grounding in the city’s long history. The English Market-style Milk Market runs on Saturdays near the city centre and is worth building a morning around.
The Hunt Museum on Rutland Street houses a remarkable private collection with works by Picasso, Renoir, and Yeats alongside medieval Irish pieces. It’s in a Georgian townhouse, admission is modest, and it’s the kind of place you’d walk past without knowing what’s inside. Don’t.
For food and drink, Limerick’s restaurant scene has improved considerably. The Curragower Seafood Bar on Clancy’s Strand serves good food with river views and a lively local atmosphere in the evenings. The city has a strong pub culture, and you’ll find traditional music sessions several nights a week across different venues if you ask locally.
Limerick is well-placed for getting around the wider region. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is 15 minutes up the road toward Shannon, the Cliffs of Moher are under an hour to the west, and the Ring of Kerry is reachable as a day trip if you have a car. It’s a practical base for the west of Ireland more broadly.