Ireland
1 upcoming event
Plan your trip to Limerick for the biggest sporting events. Find hotels, tickets, and things to do.
Limerick is Ireland's sporting soul — the rugby city that thunders at Thomond Park, and now the host region for the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, when golf's greatest team event comes to County Limerick for the first time in Irish history. The city sits on the Shannon with King John's Castle, a medieval quarter, and the food scene of a town ten times richer. With Dublin two hours east and Shannon Airport twenty minutes west, Limerick is the natural base for the 2027 Ryder Cup and the friendliest sports-mad city in Europe.
Limerick's identity is rugby. Munster Rugby's Thomond Park — a 26,000-seat fortress on the north side — is the spiritual home of Irish rugby, where Munster famously beat the All Blacks in 1978 and silence before kickoffs is a sacred tradition. The city's schools and clubs produce internationals with startling regularity, and match nights at Thomond shake the suburbs. Golf is the other pillar: Adare Manor, the Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed parkland masterpiece rebuilt at vast expense, hosts the 2027 Ryder Cup — Europe vs the United States, September 2027, the first Ryder Cup on Irish soil outside Dublin. Limerick also fields hurling and Gaelic football powers in the GAA — the county hurlers won five All-Irelands in six years through 2023 — filling the Gaelic Grounds with 45,000 for championship Sundays. Horse racing at Limerick Racecourse and a growing food-and-craft scene round out a city that treats sport as its civic religion.
Shannon sits 15 miles west of Limerick — 25 minutes by car, with direct US preclearance flights from New York, Boston, and Chicago. Buses run to Limerick's city center hourly, taxis cost about €45, and rental cars cover the region. It's the natural golf-trip gateway, with Adare 40 minutes south.
Dublin, 2 hours east by motorway, offers far more transatlantic routes and often cheaper fares. Direct buses and trains connect to Limerick every hour, and the drive through the midlands is straightforward. For Ryder Cup 2027, expect heavy demand and shuttle schemes from both airports.
Limerick's core — King John's Castle, the medieval quarter, the Milk Market, O'Connell Street — walks comfortably in an hour. Thomond Park sits 20 minutes north on foot from the center; match nights close the approach roads to traffic.
Adare village is 25 minutes southwest on the N21 — buses run a few times daily, taxis cost about €35, and Ryder Cup 2027 will run park-and-ride shuttles from Limerick city and Shannon. Book accommodation in Limerick city over Adare itself for choice.
Bus Éireannon's city network and the Dublin-Limerick coaches cover the region cheaply. The Colbert station hub connects trains to Dublin (2 hours) and Cork (1.5 hours) — a simple base for pairing Munster rugby with weekend travel.
Riverside hotels and guesthouses near King John's Castle put the Milk Market, the medieval quarter, and the pubs of Catherine Street in a five-minute walk, with Thomond Park 20 minutes on foot. The practical base for rugby weekends and Ryder Cup shuttle departures.
Search HotelsIreland's prettiest village — thatched cottages, the Adare Manor estate, and two golf courses — sits 25 minutes from the city. Book very early for Ryder Cup 2027; every room in the village is long committed, but cancellations reappear.
Search HotelsHotels along the N18 corridor toward Shannon Airport price gently and put the airport 20 minutes away — a sensible final-night base for early departures. Chain hotels and manor-house properties mix here.
Search HotelsStart at King John's Castle's ramparts and the medieval quarter's lanes, then the Milk Market's producers. Evening: a Munster match at Thomond Park if the calendar cooperates — 26,000 singing 'Fields of Athenry' is Irish sport distilled.
Drive or bus to Adare: the village's thatched main street, then the Adare Manor estate — walk the grounds, book afternoon tea, and imagine the Ryder Cup's 2027 first tee. Continue to the Cliffs of Moher an hour west for the Atlantic finale.
A riverboat cruise under Limerick's bridges or a salmon-fishing morning on the Shannon, then a farewell pub crawl — the Locke Bar's trad sessions and Nancy Blake's — with the county's hurlers on the TV and a pint of the black stuff.
Explore tours, attractions, and experiences for travelers visiting Limerick.
Explore Limerick ExperiencesMunster Rugby's URC and Champions Cup fixtures run September to May at Thomond Park, the GAA hurling championship fills the Gaelic Grounds each summer, and the city counts down to the 2027 Ryder Cup at Adare Manor each September. Adare village's golf season builds through 2026.
Ryder Cup 2027 runs Sept 13-19 at Adare Manor, Limerick. Tickets from $400, hotels from $250/night, Shannon flights and match-day plans — golf's biggest week.
Compare prices and book your stay in Limerick. We may earn a small commission when you book through our links.
Find Hotels in Limerick