Limerick may call to mind a young man from Alsace, but there’s more to this major city in the Republic of Ireland than risqué poems.

Bacon processing has a 180-year history in Limerick. Names such as O’Mara’s, Matterson’s and Denny have made the city famous for its bacon. Now, an account of the pork processing industry in Limerick can be found in Pigtown — A History of Limerick’s Bacon Industry.

Ruth Guiry researched the book which was co-edited by Dr. Maura Cronin from Mary Immaculate College, and Jacqui Hayes. The Journal.ie discusses the book, which depicts how meat processing became a prominent thread in the social fabric of Limerick’s residents and of the farmers who supplied the processing plants with raw materials.