Formerly known as the Jim Kemmy Municipal Museum and renamed in 2017, Limerick Museum tells the story of the city through several thousand objects from prehistory to the 20th century: Viking combs from the original Limerick settlement, Williamite war medals, 19th-century Limerick lace and silver, a striking collection of trade-union banners, and Frank McCourt's own typewriter. Admission is free.
The museum sits in a former merchant's house on Henry Street near the river, and the building is itself worth looking at — Georgian, with its original staircase and a few panelled rooms. Allow an hour. The cafe in the entrance hall does coffee and cake, and the small gift shop is one of the better places in the city for Irish history books.