Do you do anything to improve Limerick?

Amazotheamazing

As someone who regularly posts here on how I feel Limerick city is improving, I'm curious as to those who disagree with me would do to improve Limerick themselves? It's very, very easy to be critical but what's especially strange is none of the people who seem to have loads of energy to complain ever seem to expend even a fraction of their time trying to improve things. It seems that any and every problem should be solved by the city council, or by business, or by the Civic Trust but not by those who let these problems bother them.

For example, how many people here who complain about Limerick's derelict building's has ever bothered to join the Civic Trust, you can join as an associate for the relatively paltry sum of 25 euro. You could add you voice to determing which projects get the go ahead and which buildings get renovated.

Or you could set up a community games, as someone whose parent recently set up one, the results have been fantastic, you get to know your neighbours better, you get your kids playing sport, all in all, it's great fun for both kids and parents, again with relatively little costs, money or timewise.

Or anything really, start a fun run, volunteer for Riverfest, anything at all really. Perhaps join the garda reserve, or start a community watch, maybe just start a residents association to help improve your area. If you're loaded you can donate funds to any of the organisations that work to improve the city, if you're poor but have free time, why not volunteer some of that time?

If you're extra ambitious, why not run for the local council, Limerick has loads of independant councillors (relatively speaking) or set up a sports club (after all, the GAA and the IRFU are always looking to help out new clubs).

My point is, sitting around complaining might help identify the problem, but it does damn all to solve it. So seeing as we have loads of complainers here, any chance you'd tell me what you've done to solve the problems?

Karmafaerie

I'd like to think that I've been a little bit responsible for MMM's decision to leave Limerick.
Even if only a tiny bit.
That's one of the best improvements to Limerick since the Cranberries were put out to pasture!:D

ellenmelon

well, i volunteered for riverfest for the two weeks run up (kinda needed the work experience also, so a little selfish) and for the fest itself (ah, that glorious saturday and then that pissy sunday!!)...it was awesome fun and am planning on going back work for the lads again when i finish college here (if they'll have me!!). those festivals eightball are running are adding so much the city and everyone is always so positive about the place when they're on..we need to get those positive vibes to be around all the time! dont ask me how that can happen

bullets

People all too often focus on helping poeple.
If you love the all things great and small......
Another suggestion would be join/help Limerick Animal Welfare

http://www.limerickanimalwelfare.com/law/index.htm

They spend around 30,000 Euro per month helping animals and
they rely on Donations to keep them going. They are different to the
other animal welfare places in that they never put an animal to sleep unless
it is Really really really necessary.

They got a donation or will get a donation of 15,000 off the government
for the entire year but that will only fund them for 2 weeks!!!!!

My girlfriend is a member and we help out when we can but from a money
point of view we cant do much as we already spend over 250 Euro a month
on feeding 11 cats and any strays in the neighbourhood.

~B

ellenmelon

bullets wrote:

People all too often focus on helping poeple.
If you love the all things great and small......
Another suggestion would be join/help Limerick Animal Welfare

http://www.limerickanimalwelfare.com/law/index.htm

They spend around 30,000 Euro per month helping animals and
they rely on Donations to keep them going. They are different to the
other animal welfare places in that they never put an animal to sleep unless
it is Really really really necessary.

They got a donation or will get a donation of 15,000 off the government
for the entire year but that will only fund them for 2 weeks!!!!!

My girlfriend is a member and we help out when we can but from a money
point of view we cant do much as we already spend over 250 Euro a month
on feeding 11 cats and any strays in the neighbourhood.

~B

oh for sure...but they need to make themselves more accessible to help from the public though cause when i went into their shop to ask did they need any help they were actually quite rude and turned me and my donated goods away.put me off big time. then when i went to that dog competition they had in the peoples park, i was talking to a lady that is a regular volunteer who said they were desperate for help?! if they needed more money there is a lot they could do to help themselves..get a regular sponsor in and have more frequent donation days or whatever. you only ever see the odd person outside BT's etc. there are always companies out their willing to help out smaller charities like that (it makes them look good to their clients etc..social responsibility etc)...hire out a cinema and show a movie and people get in with some pet food..oh i dunno. i just think a more public prescence would help them out a wee bit.
yay for them though..im the kind of person who would take in every single stray animal if i could but i cant so someone has to have the hard task of trying to look after all the poor wee animals.

Amazotheamazing

ellenmelon wrote:

well, i volunteered for riverfest for the two weeks run up (kinda needed the work experience also, so a little selfish) and for the fest itself (ah, that glorious saturday and then that pissy sunday!!)...it was awesome fun and am planning on going back work for the lads again when i finish college here (if they'll have me!!). those festivals eightball are running are adding so much the city and everyone is always so positive about the place when they're on..we need to get those positive vibes to be around all the time! dont ask me how that can happen

Agree completely, Eightball and laterally the guys behind the boatclub do and awful lot to improve the city. Let's hope Springfest and Riverfest will jump from being great local festivals to great national festivals soon.

hobie

bullets wrote:

People all too often focus on helping poeple.
If you love the all things great and small......
Another suggestion would be join/help Limerick Animal Welfare

http://www.limerickanimalwelfare.com/law/index.htm

They spend around 30,000 Euro per month helping animals and
they rely on Donations to keep them going. They are different to the
other animal welfare places in that they never put an animal to sleep unless
it is Really really really necessary.

They got a donation or will get a donation of 15,000 off the government
for the entire year but that will only fund them for 2 weeks!!!!!

My girlfriend is a member and we help out when we can but from a money
point of view we cant do much as we already spend over 250 Euro a month
on feeding 11 cats and any strays in the neighbourhood.

~B

Bullets .... you'r a saint buddie .....

I'll make sure I give them some financial help in 2007 through the Shop outlet .....

motormouthmable

Karmafaerie wrote:

I'd like to think that I've been a little bit responsible for MMM's decision to leave Limerick.

That´s correct. I´ve been sick of blind and ignorant people like you. Indivudals like you made me leave LIM. And now it´s up to you to give that town a better look. Why not leave Limerick yourself, KF?

Karmafaerie

motormouthmable wrote:

That´s correct. I´ve been sick of blind and ignorant people like you. Indivudals like you made me leave LIM. And now it´s up to you to give that town a better look. Why not leave Limerick yourself, KF?

Thanks, you've made my day.
Slán.

Liam Byrne

Jeez, lads - with all due respect, let it go.....season of goodwill and all.....

It's true that (having read their posts - I don't know him/her) I'm surprised that MM has stayed in Limerick so long considering the opinion that they have of the place and how the faraway hills will be greener, but the above is a perfect example of part of the problem - we've gone from a perfectly discussable topic into an OT slagging session.....

The exact same happens in the Dublin media, as can be seen from Sunday Life and Sindo threads and loads of other occurrences in the papers; every time the paper have to mention something good, something irrelevant or crap from the distant past is dragged up to ensure the status quo is kept; can't have those Limerick people thinking they have a decent city, so lets drag down the discussion so that they, in turn, start defending Limerick; end result, the initial good news and improvements are bypassed and people start defending Limerick, thereby reminding neutrals that there are/were issues.

So I'm not a teacher or a mod, but am I out of line to ask that we at least stay on topic so that, whatever about the Sindo and the media in MM's new, greener pastures, the discussions on these boards don't follow the same thread, thereby losing the OP's initiative.....

Karmafaerie

You have to understand LB, the day I posted the original point, was the day that MMM, came out and said s/he was leaving. To which I and about five others said, goodbye and good riddance.
I've got no problem with MMM personally, but if s/he's so unhappy in Limerick then s/he should leave.
I hope that s/he finds what s/he's been missing here and has a happy life.
Personally though, I'll be happy for him/her to no longer coming into every second thread here and slagging off Limerick for no reason, and then leaving as soon as somebody calls him/her on it.
I've lost track on the amount of times I, or others here have had to ask him/her to keep on topic, and it wore thin a long, long, time ago.

If s/he's only here to cause trouble, and insult Limerick, then I don't think s/he has a place here.

It's as my mother always said, if you've got nothing good to say, say nothing.

Liam Byrne

I've seen the posts/threads that you're referring to, KF, and I'm definitely not having a go at you - in many cases I can see where you're coming from. I've already expressed my surprise that MMM stayed here that long considering he/she comes out negatively with venom so often, and I look forward to seeing his/her posts about their new home to see how it compares.

So yes (well, hopefully slightly tongue-in-cheek) I can see where your post about how the loss of certain negativity as expressed on these boards would be an improvement is coming from.

Just two thoughts, though:

1) SOME criticism is required in order to prompt change; I'd agree that MMM's negativity on some posts is way OTT in this regard, dragging the topic backwards on most occasions (IMHO) because constructive criticism and discussion are not the same as out-and-out negativity.

2) Moving negativity out of Limerick will not improve things.....99% of Limerick-bashers (as distinct from those with valid points that should be discussed) are already outside Limerick, so making that 99.1% and creating an "us-and-them" scenario won't necessarily improve matters in any way.

My main point was, and is, that a thread such as this should be kept on-track in order to give a two fingers to the begrudgers and knockers.....we've seen previous threads, including those containing photos of many of the excellent improvements, dragged down. Let visitors to boards.ie see what REAL Limerick people are like, what we do to foster a community spirit and generate improvements to our city and our lifestyle, instead of the rubbish combo of fact and fiction they read in the national papers based on the actions of a tiny minority.

If a thread is entitled "Improvements so far in Limerick", then that's all it should contain; if it's entitled "Let's not forget that these derelict sites also need to be improved", then likewise...

And if, as the OP said, it's "Do you do anything to improve Limerick ?", let's stay on topic. If no-one had proposed flattening warehouses and giving us brand new buildings (Henry St now surpassing O'Connell St as a showpiece, again IMHO) plus the excellent riverside facilities, or if they hadn't proposed new pedestrianised area and classy Christmas lighting (long overdue), Riverfest and Limerick on Ice, we'd still have a pretty run-down city.

We could, of course, also have a thread for "slagging off Limerick", and see how many people actually post or read that, because there may well be lots of intelligent people out there who despite reading Sindo and similar crap aren't as thick as the American coach mentioned elsewhere.

Because of those "suggestions to improve Limerick", we now have arguably the best and most-changing city centre in the country, with more to come by way of the Opera Centre, new bypasses to take the traffic flow (finally!) and lots more besides.

So let's stick to what people do and what people would suggest should be done to make Limerick the best possible place to live (short of moving it to the coast or giving it a beach for the summer, which would improve it further); then we can really give two fingers to the begrudgers and laugh their silly little opinions off, coz we'll know better.

Poxyshamrock

I don't really do anything to improve Limerick!

There's my answer!

JohnnyBalls

Limerick has really progressed in the last 6 years in my opinion. The growth of bars and restuaruants of a high quality( etc) Flannary's, Turkish and Indians, Refurbished Market, Cornmarket in and around the market area has been a HUGE suprise to me when I returned home for Christmas, hopefully this will continue as the area's nicely paved winding steeets could give birth to a Temple Bar style cultural quarter.

Also the Bedford Row development has been amamzing and it is hard to remember the DIABOLICAL street that existed beforehand. However, while the oncoming road projects and private developments continue I really feel the governemnt/city council are neglecting their duties when it comes to certain streets. O' Connell street and William steeet, despite huge footfall from shoppers etc really are in terrible shape. I was appalled at how despite all the wealth etc of recent years no moves have been taken to refurbish William St. in paticular which really is taking on quite an ugly facade, choked with parked cars, dodgy pavements, bad lighting and NO green life whatsoever despite being a main shppoing artery is beyond me. Quite why the powers that be havn't banned cars, created a more pedestrian friendly environment and planted trees is ludicrous. Also there doesn't seem to be EVEN ONE pedestrian crossing from Boots onwards which again is pretty bad, O Connell street lower isnt faring much better and the new developments are highlighting how badly these streets have aged.

I know there are plans to develop both but are any of them going to be relaised in a realistic timeframe? Its all well and good watching the flow of private capital into Limerick but when will taxpayers see their hard earned go into PUBLIC regeneration? Dublin has The Boardwalk, O Connell St. and Dame St. Cork got Patrick street spruced up and Galway saw Eyre Square redeveloped, surely Bedford row is short changing limerick when you consider its siez compared to the above mentioned developments? Anyone know anything about this? Limerick deserves better.

Karmafaerie

Hey, LB, I agree completely, and you're right. It was just meant as tongue in cheek.
I've no problem with negativity in regards to Limerick. Anybody, and everybody is allowed their opinion.
But unrestrained negativity, with no attempt at allowing recourse is just wrong.
Every time that MMM has interjected something, s/he refuses to listen to any form of rebuttal, and when the facts are brought in s/he just ignores them.
There are plenty of people here who regularly have negative things to say about Limerick, but they are open to debate on the matter.
MMM just flat out refuses to accept that his/her opinions aren't fact.
Obviously there is some reason that s/he hates Limerick, and nothing will change that.
As the saying goes, you can't teach somebody something that they think they already know.

Anyway, back on topic (finally:p ) JB. there are as you said plans to change William and O'Connell Street.
The decision to start refurbishing most of the buildings on the South side of William Street was given over a year ago, though as you said it isn't due to commence for over a year yet!
The Bedford Row project is only about 1/3 finished, so it's unfair to judge it on what's been completed so far. Also, a similar area, although much smaller, was recently finished up by Bakers Place.
The Opera Center is going to vastly change the area around Patrick/Ellen Street. Also the idea for developing the whole area where Penny's, Roches, Arthur's Quay, and Aurthur's Quay Park has been nosed around.
Although not supposedly planned to start for two years, it would be a major, major change, with all of the above mentioned buildings getting knocked, and a large open square being developed in the area.
Hope this answers some of your queries.

Limerick Dude

Whats the current situation with the opera centre ?

Karmafaerie

Limerick Dude wrote:

Whats the current situation with the opera centre ?

They were granted planning permission on I think two conditions, and they're in the process of accepting it.
Basically, they're lawyers are talking to the councils lawyers, who will talk to the council, who'll go back to their lawyers etc.....
Usual bureaucratic sh*te!
Building should start first quarter 2007.

Twinkle-star15

I, eh, don't litter? But you'd think someone could still put some bins around the place, there's hardly any! And I don't think I've ever seen one after Sarsfield bridge.

Amazotheamazing

There used to one, a solitary one, outside Jury's where the Hilton onw is. I agree, there is nowhere near enough bins in town.

Limerick Dude

There definetly needs to be more bins in town, the ones that are there are always full and overflowing anyway!

Karmafaerie

The placing of a whole load of bins and benches all over Limerick is part of the planned developments.
They said something about it in that .pdf on the pedestrianisation of O'Connell St. page.

scrattletrap

Quick answer yes many things (most of which I'm not going into here).
I have been known to go out with a scrubber brush and remove graffiti from bus shelters and walls (the racist ones as I think they bring down the city). I try an prompt Limericks history through my website www.limerickslife.com little things help.

soldering iron

that a wounderfull site, some grear pitures of your city there. well done

vkid

Cool site. Never knew of that site before. Fair play!

scrattletrap

Shucks, thanks guys.