Many legends surround Munchin one of which is believed that whilst building a church in Limerick he asked the locals to help, but they would not so he placed a curse of which the strangers would flourish and the natives perish.
By Maureen Sparling
As you walk in from the Thomondgate side and proceed over the famous bridge, take a sharp turn left as you face the Toll House, then raise your eyes to the right and you will immediately catch sight of the object of the story I am about to relate to you, the ancient local Limerick Legend, the famous, or infamous, Curse of St Munchin.
Within the time frame that this long-standing fable is believed to have taken place, which was roughly the 6th century, the town was deemed to be a busy commercial hub, the river being our main asset because it presented feasibility which was necessary for the transportation of goods and this included the ferrying of sand and stone from the local quarry.
Across the oft calm free-flowing Shannon stood the all-important quarry which was necessary for the provision of sand, gravel and stone, as we can only imagine that during the period of time in question, many buildings were in the process of being built in our old town.
Verdant Place, as we now call it, would have been mainly a green forestry area where a proliferation of verdure grew freely, a place where very few – if any – houses existed. Continue with your walk as you listen to the calming sound of the river flowing close by.
The vast expansive Clare hills, often a reliable weather indicator depending on their visibility or lack of it, gaze down in lordly manner on the old town and observe its hard-working, honest folk as they go about their daily tasks.
