Editing Limerick (section)

===Waterway transport===
Historically, waterway transport has been key to Limerick's development. Vikings established the city as a maritime trading port. The city's position on a major Irish river system, the [[River Shannon|Shannon]], enabled transport to the midlands of Ireland and further north and west. By the 18th century with the opening of canal systems throughout Ireland, Limerick Port established itself as Ireland's premier commercial port on the western side of the country. This was enabled by the ease of access facilitated by the opening of canals but most importantly to the River Shannon. The opening of the [[Grand Canal (Ireland)|Grand Canal]] in the 18th century provided further access to Dublin and the east of the country. There are also a number of disused canals in the vicinity of the city including the Park Canal & the Passey – Errina Canal on the old Limerick navigation. Waterway transport on the Shannon was regularly used to transport goods from Limerick to Dublin and vice versa however this mode of transport fell into decline in the 20th century. Originally Limerick port was located near the confluence of the Abbey and Shannon rivers at [[King's Island, Limerick|King's Island]]. Today the [[Shannon Foynes Port]] is located further downstream on the Shannon alongside the Dock Road. This general-purpose facility port is operated by the Shannon Foynes Port Company which operates all marine activities in the Shannon estuary.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ireland's principal deep-water bulk products port {{!}} Shannon Foynes Port Company|url=https://www.sfpc.ie/about-us/|access-date=10 August 2020|language=en-US|archive-date=1 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190601173627/https://www.sfpc.ie/about-us/|url-status=live}}</ref>