Heritage, crime and inequality: understanding Limerick in the post-Celtic Tiger context (Pre-published version)

Abstract

Debates about social exclusion are central to heritage, because heritage spaces are not blank canvasses. They are spaces where people live and work and when those residents are deeply disadvantaged, their poverty presents specific challenges to heritage development. In Limerick, the most prominent heritage site in the city, King John’s Castle is located in an area adjacent to one of the most deprived electoral districts in the Irish state (St. Mary’s Park). This part of Limerick city also features the strong presence of some of the city’s most notorious criminal gangs.