Raheen, County Limerick
| Raheen An Ráithín
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| — Suburb — | |
 Raheen
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| 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 a rapidly growing suburban area 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, with notable Asian and Eastern European populations. It is a predominantly middle-class area, with some affluent estates on the western side of the district.
It is a hive of industry, with an industrial estate and a cement factory.
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.
The area experienced population explosion in the early 2000s, with an influx of migrants from other areas of Limerick, and from further afield. It now has a population of over 10,000, which is expected to grow.
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[disambiguation needed] 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
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