Limerick's history stretches back over thousands of years. It is famed for pigs and poetry, but so far only the surface of its past has been revealed. The A–Z of Curious County Limerick looks at the forgotten tales, such as the story of the deer that ran amok through the streets of Limerick City and the man who was sentenced to work in a bog. Many of these stories of the area were well known and talked about at the time but did not get passed down to recent generations. Each letter of the alphabet leads to another weird or wonderful tale, from animals and their amazing antics, to Zepp the travelling chip salesman.

An A to Z of quirky facts and stories about Limerick county

Did You Know? At least 189,429 Limerick residents migrated from Ireland between 1851 and 1911. A Limerick man, George Geary Bennis, saved the life of King Louis Phillipe of France during a street fracas in 1848. For this he was awarded the title of 'Chevalier'. The last Limerick woman hanged was Annie Walsh, who was executed on 5 August 1925 after being found guilty of murdering her husband. In 1849 an Adare man called Hamilton attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria. The Little Book of Limerick is a compendium of fascinating information about the city and county, past and present. Here you will find out about Limerick's buildings and bridges, crime and punishment, tragic accidents, and its famous (and occasionally infamous) men and women. It covers not only the well-known aspects of Limerick's history but also focuses on the details of the everyday man in the street, recording facts that could so easily have been forgotten. A reliable reference book and a quirky guide, this can be dipped into time and again to reveal something new about the people, the heritage, the secrets and the enduring fascination of this ancient city and county. It is essential reading for visitors and locals alike.

' This incredible book is very, very important'. Damien Dempsey In November 2008, Tomás Mac Conmara sat with a 105 five-year-old woman at a nursing home in Clare. While gently moving through her memories, he asked the east Clare native; 'Do you remember the time that four lads were killed on the Bridge of Killaloe?'. Almost immediately, the woman's countenance changed to deep outward sadness. Her recollection took him back to 17th November 1920, when news of the brutal death of four men, who became known as the Scariff Martyrs, was revealed to the local community. Late the previous night, on the bridge of Killaloe they were shot by British Forces, who claimed they had attempted to escape. Locals insisted they were murdered. A story remembered for 100 years is now fully told. This incident presents a remarkable confluence of dimensions. The young rebels committed to a cause. Their betrayal by a spy, their torture and evident refusal to betray comrades, the loneliness and liminal nature of their site of death on a bridge. The withholding of their dead bodies and their collective burial. All these dimensions bequeath a moment which carries an enduring quality that has reverberated across the generations and continues to strike a deep chord within the local landscape of memory in East Clare and beyond.