The People's Park is the green heart of the Georgian quarter — about three hectares between Pery Square and the Crescent, laid out in the 1870s as a Victorian pleasure ground with mature trees, a small bandstand, a granite memorial column to Thomas Spring Rice, and beds of seasonal planting. Frank McCourt grew up a few streets away and described the park in Angela's Ashes; the play areas his Limerick avoided are now full of children, prams, and dogs.
The Limerick City Gallery of Art occupies the carriage house at the south-eastern corner and has a permanent collection focused on 20th-century Irish painters, plus a programme of changing shows; admission is free. Even a 20-minute walk through the park is one of the best small breaks from city sightseeing.