Raheen () is a large suburb of
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Initially developed to ease population overspill from the city of Limerick, Raheen is socioeconomically diverse, ranging from older, poor class housing estates to relatively affluent areas.
History
The oldest parts of the area were built in the 1960s and 1970s. In the following years, Raheen and neighbouring
Dooradoyle
Dooradoyle ( Irish: ''Tuar an Daill'') is a large suburb of Limerick, Ireland. It is one of Limerick's newer suburbs, and is home to the campus of University Hospital Limerick and the Crescent Shopping Centre.
Etymology
The name Dooradoyle ( g ...
both experienced growth, particularly during the
Celtic Tiger
The "Celtic Tiger" ( ga, An Tíogar Ceilteach) is a term referring to the economy of Ireland from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, a period of rapid real economic growth fuelled by foreign direct investment. The boom was dampened by a subseque ...
. Raheen became one of Limerick's more multicultural areas, as it was a common destination for immigrants. It has for a long time contained notable populations of
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
,
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
n and
Chinese descent
Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese.
Terminology
() or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, ref ...
, with a large influx of immigrants from
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...
arriving during Ireland's economic boom.
Until recently, Raheen, as with many other large Limerick city suburbs, was outside the boundary of
Limerick City Council
Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City ...
. Local government was under the jurisdiction of
Limerick County Council
Limerick County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in County Limerick, Ireland. As a county council, it was governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council had 28 elected members. ...
, itself a separate authority to the city council with responsibility towards
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province
, subd ...
. June 2014 saw the merger of the Limerick authorities into one unified authority. The merger saw the expansion of the city boundaries to include Raheen.
Limerick City Council
Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in the city of Limerick in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City ...
made many attempts in the past to extend its control over these parts of the city but were unsuccessful as part of a boundary extension to the city council area.
Economy
The local economy is highly dependent on light and heavy industry based at Raheen Business Park. It is the home of many international companies, and multi-national concerns with premises there include
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an American biotechnology company headquartered in Westchester County, New York. The company was founded in 1988. Originally focused on neurotrophic factors and their regenerative capabilities, giving rise to ...
,
Analog Devices,
Dell,
Banta
Banta Soda, or Banta, also Goli Soda or Goti Soda and Fotash Jawl, is a popular carbonated lemon or orange-flavoured soft drink sold in India since the late 19th century in a distinctly shaped iconic Codd-neck bottle. The pressure created by ...
,
ON Semiconductor
onsemi (stylized in lowercase; legally ON Semiconductor Corporation; formerly ON Semiconductor until August 5, 2021) is an American semiconductor supplier company, based in Phoenix, Arizona and ranked #483 on the 2022 ''Fortune'' 500 based on it ...
,
Stryker Corp. (formerly Howmedica),
RRD GTS, and Emutex. The Dell manufacturing plant was one of the largest employers in Limerick prior to its closure in January 2009, which dealt a major blow to the economy of the greater Limerick area. The former Dell plant has since been taken over by Regeneron.
The radio station
Spin South West and an
Irish National Training and Employment Authority centre (formerly FÁS) operate from the
Raheen Industrial Estate. The Industrial Estate Estate is divided into two sections, the old section entrance is on the Raheen Roundabout (R526 St Nessan Road and R510) the Second Entrance is on the New Section with its entrance on the
M20
Amenities
Raheen shares many amenities with neighbouring
Dooradoyle
Dooradoyle ( Irish: ''Tuar an Daill'') is a large suburb of Limerick, Ireland. It is one of Limerick's newer suburbs, and is home to the campus of University Hospital Limerick and the Crescent Shopping Centre.
Etymology
The name Dooradoyle ( g ...
, including the
Crescent Shopping Centre and the main campus of
University Hospital Limerick. There are many shops and restaurants located in Raheen proper, along with St Nessan's (Roman Catholic) Church.
The main school in the area is St Nessan's NS, a primary school. Many secondary level students from Raheen are educated at
Crescent College
Crescent College Comprehensive SJ, formerly known as the College of the Sacred Heart, is a secondary school located on of parkland at Dooradoyle, Limerick, Ireland. The college is one of a number of Jesuit schools in Ireland.
The 2016 ''Su ...
in Dooradoyle, while others attend schools further afield in Limerick city or county.
Parts of Raheen are serviced by two different city bus routes. The 301 bus (Westbury-City Centre-Raheen) stops on the Father Russell Road near Oakfield, while the 304 bus (
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...
-City Centre-Ballycummin) serves St Nessan's Road, Church Hill Meadows and Raheen Heights.
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
Towns and villages in County Limerick