- Mid-West Region, Ireland
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The Mid-West Region is a NUTS Level III region of the Republic of Ireland and is governed by the Mid-West Regional Authority. It consists of the area under the jurisdiction of the county councils of counties Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, along with Limerick City Council. The Mid-West region spans 8,248 km², 11% of the total area of the state and has a population of 339,591. The regional capital is Limerick city.[1] Its NUTS code is IE023.
The region is located on the western seaboard of Ireland with the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the River Shannon also passes through the Mid-West forming a distinctive corridor and unifying force in the character of the area.[1]
Contents
Mid-West Regional Authority
The Mid-West Region is administered by the Mid-West Regional Authority, which consists of 26 elected representatives including the region's representative on the EU Committee of the Regions. These representatives meet once a month and are nominated from the four administrative councils of the region:[1]
- Limerick City Council
- Clare County Council
- Limerick County Council
- North Tipperary County Council
Like other Regional Authorities, the Mid-West Regional Authority is assisted in its duties by an Operational Committee and EU Operational Committee.[1]
Demographics
The Mid-West region has a population of 339,591 which constitutes about 8.67% of Ireland's total population. [1] The population density of the region is 41.17 persons/square km. Limerick city is the largest urban area in the region with a population of 54,023 (2002 census) within the city boundary area and has a population of about 100,000 people within the larger urban area including the city suburbs.[1]
Economy
The economy of the region is based mainly around the greater Limerick/Shannon region. The Shannon Free Zone, Shannon International Airport, Shannon Estuary Ports, National Technology Park Limerick and major educational institutions such as the University of Limerick are major drivers of the regional economy with growth prospects in Biotechnology and medical technology, ICT, aerospace, tourism agribusiness and logistics. [1] The Dublin/Limerick corridor and the western corridor linking Galway/Limerick/Cork is of strategic importance to the region. [1]
Regional GDP in 2002 was €8,234m with GDP per capita forming 86.2% of the state. The GDP per capita was 109.8% of EU25.[1]
The workforce in the region was 160,400 in 2003 which was an employment rate of 96.7% of which 61.8% were employed in services, 29.8% in Industry and 8.3% employed in agriculture. [1]
Transport
Shannon International Airport is the only airport in the region with a wide range of flights available to Britain, continental Europe and transatlantic flights to the USA. The M7 is a high quality motorway connecting Dublin and Limerick. The N18/M18 including the Limerick Tunnel provides a complete bypass of Limerick and improved access to Shannon, Ennis and Galway. The N/M20 road/motorway provides access to Cork and Kerry.
Urban areas
A list of the largest urban areas in the Mid-West Region. County capitals are shown in bold.
Rank Town County Population
(2006 census)1 Limerick Limerick 90,757 2 Ennis Clare 24,253 3 Shannon Clare 9,222 4 Nenagh North Tipperary 7,415 5 Newcastle West Limerick 7,291 6 Thurles North Tipperary 6,831 7 Roscrea North Tipperary 5,896 8 Rathkeale Limerick 3,938 9 Kilrush Clare 2,768 10 Templemore North Tipperary 2,255 See also
- List of regions of the Republic of Ireland
- Republic of Ireland
References
Regions of the Republic of Ireland Border Region · Dublin Region · Mid-East Region · Mid-West Region · Midlands Region · South-East Region · South-West Region · West Region
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