St Mary's parish is probably the oldest of the five original parishes of Limerick City. It was in existence before the Synod of Rathbrassill in 1111 AD. It was in this year that the then parochial Church of St Mary's was raised to the level of a Cathedral by the Bishop of Limerick, Gilbert.

Nowadays, the parish contains King John's Island and includes a part of Corbally. It was divided in 1991 when Bishop Jeremiah Newman created the parish of St Nicholas' to accommodate the rising population in the area.

The population of St Mary's parish is around 6,000.

With the coming of the Reformation, the Cathedral became the property of the Church of Ireland. Today, the Roman Catholic Cathedral is located in St John's Parish.

Within the parish bounds is King John's Castle, which was built between 1200 and 1210. Today the castle is a popular tourist attraction.

Produced by Kevin O' Connor

First broadcast 7th February, 1976

An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries.