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The Royal Irish Academy has struck gold with its 21st Historic Towns Atlas which charts, in words, maps and pictures, the development of Limerick city from its Viking origins to 1900, writes EILEEN BATTERSBY

TOWN PLANS TELL the story of settlement formation and transformation and are a vital source when documenting the extent of habitation at any given time. The history of Limerick city began in the early 9th century with the arrival of the Vikings. It is not certain whether the longphort or ship camp was a permanent urban settlement, yet it was the base from which Viking raids were launched not only on the Shannon hinterland but as far north as Armagh. Built on King’s Island in the great bend of the Shannon, Limerick has a rich, often dramatic story that historian Eamon O’Flaherty, drawing from wonderful source maps, watercolours and ink sketches, charts almost forensically in the latest instalment from the Royal Irish Academy’s Irish Historic Towns Atlasseries edited by Anngret Simms, HB Clarke, Raymond Gillespie and Jacinta Prunty.