Are you looking for the best bookstores in Limerick?
Limerick, the third largest city in Ireland, was established in 922 AD by Vikings. Its Charter of Incorporation dates back to 1197, making Limerick one of Ireland’s oldest cities.
This city boasts Ireland’s second-largest Georgian Quarter, after Dublin. Foynes, a small village in Limerick, is credited with creating Irish Coffee, a drink made with Irish whiskey, in 1943.
With regards to famous locals – actor Richard Harris, rock band The Cranberries, radio host Terry Wogan, writer Kate O’Brien, and award-winning author Frank McCourt all hail from Limerick.
Apart from the above-mentioned literary greats, you will find stories all across Limerick. You can discover them in the jumbled gravestones of St. Munchin’s Church, where the first bishop of Limerick is supposed to be buried.
The Limerick Museum, meanwhile, carry stories depicted in some great black and white images of local life. The main landmark of Limerick is King John’s Castle, which dates back a thousand years and is rife with legends and history.
And if exploring Limerick wasn’t enough to make you want to bring home a piece of this city with you, you can always buy a book from any of the city’s beloved bookstores.
Most of the bookstores in Limerick carry titles where you can read about local history as well as get a glimpse into the fascinating Irish culture. If you are visiting Limerick soon, don’t forget to stop by one of these delightful bookstores in Limerick.
Things you'll find in this article
6 Best Bookstores in Limerick
1. The Celtic Bookshop
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Address: 2 Rutland St, Limerick, V94 DX89, Ireland
The Celtic Bookshop is a veritable goldmine for books and other materials with an Irish focus. It is one of the most popular bookstores in Limerick,
situated in close proximity to the educational Hunt Museum. The shelves of this bookstore are crammed to the gills with regional journals and history books. They cover topics such as the American Revolution and the history of antique coins.
This bookshop is a must-see for anyone with specialized interests in Ireland. This Limerick bookshop carries a wide variety of books that are not available in regular stock elsewhere (some of them clearly decades old). You can get a summary of some of the more uncommon history books they sell by going to their website and looking at the list.
Caroline O’Brien is the current owner of the family-run bookshop known as the Celtic Bookshop. You can also send them an email to make book requests or to request a catalog. This will make it much simpler for you to locate the specific title that you are searching for.
2. Crescent Bookshop
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Address: 19, Crescent Shopping Centre, Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland
Over the course of more than three decades, The Crescent Bookshop has served its community as an independent, family-owned and operated bookstore. They have staff members who are friendly, informed, and helpful, which makes it one of the best places to buy books in Limerick.
This bookstore in Limerick takes great pleasure in the fact that they provide excellent service and stock a varied and extensive selection of titles.
Along with a vast selection of American candies, cereals, and soft beverages, the Crescent Bookshop also has a variety of puzzles, games, and stationery in addition to its extensive collection of books.
Plus, during the “Back to School” season, they provide a service that will fill your school book list without any hassle. They also sell school supplies, schoolbags, exam papers, school plays and novels, and so on.
This Limerick bookstore also has stocks of Warhammer and Dungeons & Dragons materials. They have one of the best selections of manga books and graphic novels in the Limerick area.
3. Eason
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Address: 20, 45 Dublin Road, Limerick, V94 NY20, Ireland
Initially established in 1819 under the name Johnston & Co. Since then, it has weathered some of the most dramatic events in Irish history and expanded to become the country’s primary provider of reading materials.
When Charles Eason and his son bought the company from W.H. Smith in 1886, it was during the energizing period of Parnell and the Land League.
While living in the 19th century, Eason contributed to the intellectual and industrial revolutions that swept the country. The success of their bookstands in trains was contingent on the rate of literacy improving.
Once a larger percentage of the population was literate, written documents took on greater significance for the nation as a whole.
Eason and Son now operates over 60 stores across the island of Ireland and its northern neighbor, Northern Ireland.
O’Connell Street in Dublin is home to the main store.
Aside from the comfortable ambiance provided by The Muse Café and the several reading places spread throughout the store, shoppers may also enjoy the store’s many levels of retail space.
The Eason bookstore in Limerick sells a wide variety of books, newspapers, magazines, greeting cards, and stationery all around the island of Ireland. In addition to computers and computer parts, some stores also sell CDs, DVDs, games, and toys.
4. Abbey Bookshop
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Address: 26 O’Connell St, Limerick, Ireland
Limerick’s best selection of religious books and gifts can be found at the Abbey Book Shop. This Limerick bookshop has a selection of Catholic and Christian books including works on liturgy, theology, prayer, scripture, and spirituality.
Michele Wisley and her family manage the business out of a storefront leased from the Augustinian Church on O’Connell Street.
Michelle’s family has been involved in the ecclesiastical, altarware, and church supplies business in Ireland for over forty years. They provide a wealth of knowledge in this area to the city of Limerick.
The Augustinian church was reorganized in 2001 to provide room for a religious bookshop, which led to the establishment of a collaboration between the two communities.
The bookshop may be found in the old side aisle of the church, which is now the hospitality area inside the main door. It has a wide variety of religious and spiritual resources, including books, Mass Cards, devotional materials, catholic periodicals, liturgical equipment, candles, and works of art.
5. O’ Mahony’s
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Address: 120 O’Connell St, Limerick, V94 H6Y8, Ireland
Since 1902, O’ Mahony’s has served as among the best places to buy books in Limerick. It’s a gigantic bookstore that has books on virtually every subject imaginable, and the storefront display is very spectacular.
O’ Mahony’s has a friendly staff who are always willing to offer advice and are big fans of local writers. There doesn’t seem to be anything bad about it.
In 2022, O’Mahony’s, located on Limerick’s O’Connell Street, celebrated 120 years as one of Ireland’s oldest bookstores.
Frank O’Mahony has taken over the family business, which is still owned by the O’Mahonys and has expanded to five locations throughout the city. O’Mahony’s offers more than a hundred thousand books and other items on their website in addition to their physical storefront.
These days, O’ Mahony’s can be found at five different locations. The one at 120 O’Connell Street in Limerick is the largest, with around 16,000 square feet of shop space. A warehouse full of textbooks is also available.
In addition to its enormous selection, the O’Connell Street location is famous for hosting book launches, author signings, and children’s activities.
Authors such as Gay Byrne, Jacqueline Wilson, Lorna Byrne, Neven Maguire, and John Connolly, and athletes like Paul O’Connell, Katie Taylor, Andy Lee, Anthony Foley, and Ruby Walsh have all stopped by our bookstore.
6. Quay Books
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Address: 11 Sarsfield St, Limerick, Ireland
AMore of a bookstall, You can find Quay Books in the heart of the Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre. This Limerick bookshop is conveniently located near the heart of the city. Here you will discover the weird and the unexpected.
You can get some gorgeous American copies of poetry and short classics, as well as some amazing imports at bargain prices. Local publications about Limerick’s history and culture are also available here.
You may find the bookstore near the mall’s Tesco cash registers. The unique and interesting books they have make it worth a visit even if you aren’t in Limerick for grocery shopping.
Quay Books is one of the tiniest bookstores we’ve added to this list of the best Limerick bookstores. However, its unique approach exemplifies the resilience and resourcefulness that have helped other tiny bookstores succeed.
With this in mind, Quay Books has decided to start selling their wares in Tesco, a supermarket frequented by many people.
Hi, I’m Christine – a full-time traveler and career woman. Although I’m from the Philippines, my location independent career took me to over 60 countries for the past 12 years. I also lived in 4 continents – from the Caribbean, South East Asia, Africa and now in Europe. But despite living in several countries, my love for Ireland remains the same. A country that had been a part of my life since I was 14 because of my love for Irish music and bands. Ireland Travel Guides was born because of this passion and hopefully, in some little ways, this website will be able to help you on your next trip to Ireland.