Raheen, County Limerick
| Raheen An Ráithín | |
|---|---|
| Suburb | |
 | |
  Raheen | |
| Coordinates: 52°37′55″N 8°39′29″W / 52.632°N 8.658°WCoordinates: 52°37′55″N 8°39′29″W / 52.632°N 8.658°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Limerick |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Suburb | 10,623 |
| • Urban | 8,592 |
| • Rural | 2,031 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | R550534 |
Raheen (Irish: An Ráithín, meaning "small ringfort") is an industrial suburb located immediately southwest of Limerick city and 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) north of Patrickswell. It adjoins onto Dooradoyle and Mungret. It houses the headquarters of the Mid-Western Region of the Health Service Executive so that a multitude of essential health services catering for the population of the region are dispensed from this suburban district.
Raheen is a multicultural community, and is home to a large part of Limerick's African and South Asian communities. Demographically, it is a very mixed area, and its population contains a wide range of ethnic groups and social classes, though the core of the suburb's population are part of the working or lower-middle classes.
Although Raheen functions as a suburb of Limerick, officially and legally the area is not part of Limerick city and is administered by Limerick County Council, as are other suburbs such as nearby Dooradoyle and Castletroy. Limerick City Council (currently a separate albeit smaller authority for more inner city areas) have made many attempts in the past to extend its control over these parts of the city but have been unsuccessful. However, following the local elections in 2014 both councils are to merge with all city areas coming under one authority.
History
Like most suburban areas of Limerick, Raheen is a relatively new community, which developed in the 1960s. It started as a small dwelling, and grew in population with new estates being built, including Meadowvale, Gouldavoher and Oakfield. The Father Russell Road has also seen the development of new estates.
As the population grew, Raheen became a traditionally multicultural area, as immigrants who arrived in Limerick from the late 1970s, right through to today, often resided in the area. The original migrant communities that existed in the area came predominantly from southern European countries such as Spain, and also from China, India and Pakistan. During the Celtic Tiger, more immigrants arrived from these countries, as well as from Africa and Eastern Europe.
Industry
Raheen Industrial Estate is the home of many international companies, and multi-national concerns with premises there include Analog Devices, Dell, Banta, ON Semiconductor, Stryker Corp. (formerly Howmedica), RRD GTS, and Emutex.
The radio station Spin South West and training center FAS operate from the Raheen Industrial Estate.
The Industrial Estate Estate is divided into two sections, the old section entrance is on the Raheen Roundabout (R526 St Nessan Road and R510) the Second Entrance is on the New Section with its entrance on the M20