Limerick - A Tale of 3 Cities

solice

Hi guys, a few months back I was told that I would be moving to Limerick for work. I wasn’t really given a choice, was told to move and that was that. The idea of moving here wasn’t very appealing, I had only ever passed through Limerick but I knew of its reputation. I grew up listening to stories on the news from “Stab City” and just before I moved down, Shane Geoghan was shot. I was getting more and more annoyed that I had to come here.

So I moved down in March and considering I had no choice in it, I thought I should just make the best of this “bad” situation.

I have to say that Limerick has surprised me. I know it has its problems, like all cities do. But I really do feel that the reputation that Limerick has is not in any justified. And from my exploring and talking to people I can see so much potential to grow the city into something that everyone can be proud of.

Limerick has the potential to be a real European city, possibly Irelands only real European city. If you visit Eastern Europe you will notice one specific trend among all the cities, there are actually two cities, the old town and the new town. The most recognizable ones would be Prague and Krakow. I see this potential in Limerick, but I think people need to look outside the box.

The Old Town – the area around King John’s Castle (from Thomond Bridge to the Cathedral) has the potential to become a real tourist destination. It would be relatively easy to do. Ban cars from the area (will be easy to do when the tunnel is complete), put in cobble stones on the narrow streets, put old style lampposts on all the street corners. In order to maintain the location, give tax breaks for specific kinds of shops such as tourist outlets, cafes and bars. Make it mandatory to maintain the outside of all the premises to a strict code, so that there would be no neon signs and that all premises have to be painted to a specific colour scheme. Basically this whole area could be along the lines of Temple Bar in Dublin, but Limerick could learn from the mistakes that were made there and with good planning it could be a real highlight of the city. Develop a square around the entrance to the castle, this may involve knocking the existing entrance (it is horrible) and replacing it with a more suitable structure.

The New Town – this is the main shopping area in Limerick as it is already and this wouldn’t require much work either. Simply develop the area from William St to Cecil St and O Connell St to the river. Not enough focus in this city is on the river. I went for a drink in Clohessys one evening, the sun was shining so we sat by the river on one of the benches. It was really nice! I find it odd that people in Limerick consider the Shannon to be an obstacle as opposed to an asset. Incorporate the old existing buildings into new office and retail space. The focus for the city here should be to use it as a commercial centre for all high street stores and office spaces. I don’t think new buildings need to be built, just develop the existing infrastructure.

Georgetown – At the top of O Connell St is the real gem of the city, the Crescent. The architecture here is unlike anywhere else in the city and it too has great potential to become a great social centre. When the tunnel is complete, the area should be pedestrianised, put in some trees, benches, do up the fountain in the middle. Put in nice lighting. Develop a square or amphitheatre at the centre of the crescent for live music events. In order to maintain the image, give tax breaks for specific retail outlets, maybe designate this area for restaurants and artisan shops, much like the French Quarter in Cork or Shop St in Galway.

Develop a walkway from the Clarion hotel all the long the river to Thomond Bridge, with actual cycle lanes and footpaths.

I think the city council needs to plan properly for the redevelopment of Limerick city centre. Most of the above would simply involve giving specific areas a facelift as opposed to any major development. Once the current round of infrastructure development (tunnel and motorway) is complete, people should focus on the city.

As an outsider looking in, I quiet like Limerick. I just think it needs some careful planning and for the people of Limerick to start promoting their own city!

Mr E

Well said, solice.

RonMexico

You hit the nail on the head there. It would be nice to have a mayor that is elected by the people too.

chocoholic

It's great to hear an outsider praise Limerick!
Limerick has so much potential. Solice you should pass on your ideas to Limerick City Council.
If the Opera Centre ever gets built, then this could improve the facilities and atmosphere in the city centre.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_opera_centre

http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/Further-delays-on-Limerick39s-Opera.5360881.jp

Stab*City

Thanks very much.. Lots of nice things about limerick there.. and well deserved too.. But CRASH!!!!! and here we are back down on earth again.. do you really think there is any money to spend (at all) on the likes of "old style lamp posts" and the like? We are a city where most construction has stopped due to the lack of money. We have an opera centre that is hanging in the balance as is the ghost town retail parks that surround the city. Our regeneration project has ground to a halt..

Add to that the fact that they have already wasted tons of money on the very landmarks you speak of and only made them uglier (King John's). But you are right in a sense what limerick does need is proper planning (current & past planners blind, deaf and stupid) and to get the wannabe fat cats outta city hall.. they dont care about our city all they care about is lineing their pockets and getting in the limerick post..

Dont get me wrong here i do agree with everything you said about limerick having such promise but i think currently these decisions lie in the wrong hands plus there is no money.. i could see limerick becoming what u want in maybe 20-30 years but not until then..

but again thanks for your nice comments..

from a realist.

zuroph

RonMexico wrote: »

You hit the nail on the head there. It would be nice to have a mayor that is elected by the people too.

god no, limerick people are idiots.

Skuxx

zuroph wrote: »

god no, limerick people are idiots.

What do you mean Limerick people are idiots??
I find that insulting, Limerick is full of great people. I'd never live anywhere else!

zuroph

*facepalm*

RonMexico

zuroph wrote: »

god no, limerick people are idiots.

Well some are alright and one in particular is currently getting fitted for his new robes.

Guess who?

Aidric

RonMexico wrote: »

Well some are alright and one in particular is currently getting fitted for his new robes.

Guess who?

Whiskey Nose?

Amazotheamazing

RonMexico wrote: »

Well some are alright and one in particular is currently getting fitted for his new robes.

Guess who?

Em, the new mayor is not a man of vision... In fact, of the entire council, it's mostly a pretty mediocre bunch, how many current councillors would you be happy to see as a TD for Limerick, for example?

Anyhow, the original plan does make a lot of sense, but nothing will be done with the King's Island until the Island field is sorted out. We can pretend all we like, but the Island field prevents the rest of the Island being fully utilised for tourism.

RonMexico

I see our new overlord was on RTE tonight swelling up like a toad in front of the cameras.

4tothefloor

solice wrote: »

Hi guys, a few months back I was told that I would be moving to Limerick for work. I wasn’t really given a choice, was told to move and that was that. The idea of moving here wasn’t very appealing, I had only ever passed through Limerick but I knew of its reputation. I grew up listening to stories on the news from “Stab City” and just before I moved down, Shane Geoghan was shot. I was getting more and more annoyed that I had to come here.

So I moved down in March and considering I had no choice in it, I thought I should just make the best of this “bad” situation.

I have to say that Limerick has surprised me. I know it has its problems, like all cities do. But I really do feel that the reputation that Limerick has is not in any justified. And from my exploring and talking to people I can see so much potential to grow the city into something that everyone can be proud of.

Limerick has the potential to be a real European city, possibly Irelands only real European city. If you visit Eastern Europe you will notice one specific trend among all the cities, there are actually two cities, the old town and the new town. The most recognizable ones would be Prague and Krakow. I see this potential in Limerick, but I think people need to look outside the box.

The Old Town – the area around King John’s Castle (from Thomond Bridge to the Cathedral) has the potential to become a real tourist destination. It would be relatively easy to do. Ban cars from the area (will be easy to do when the tunnel is complete), put in cobble stones on the narrow streets, put old style lampposts on all the street corners. In order to maintain the location, give tax breaks for specific kinds of shops such as tourist outlets, cafes and bars. Make it mandatory to maintain the outside of all the premises to a strict code, so that there would be no neon signs and that all premises have to be painted to a specific colour scheme. Basically this whole area could be along the lines of Temple Bar in Dublin, but Limerick could learn from the mistakes that were made there and with good planning it could be a real highlight of the city. Develop a square around the entrance to the castle, this may involve knocking the existing entrance (it is horrible) and replacing it with a more suitable structure.

The New Town – this is the main shopping area in Limerick as it is already and this wouldn’t require much work either. Simply develop the area from William St to Cecil St and O Connell St to the river. Not enough focus in this city is on the river. I went for a drink in Clohessys one evening, the sun was shining so we sat by the river on one of the benches. It was really nice! I find it odd that people in Limerick consider the Shannon to be an obstacle as opposed to an asset. Incorporate the old existing buildings into new office and retail space. The focus for the city here should be to use it as a commercial centre for all high street stores and office spaces. I don’t think new buildings need to be built, just develop the existing infrastructure.

Georgetown – At the top of O Connell St is the real gem of the city, the Crescent. The architecture here is unlike anywhere else in the city and it too has great potential to become a great social centre. When the tunnel is complete, the area should be pedestrianised, put in some trees, benches, do up the fountain in the middle. Put in nice lighting. Develop a square or amphitheatre at the centre of the crescent for live music events. In order to maintain the image, give tax breaks for specific retail outlets, maybe designate this area for restaurants and artisan shops, much like the French Quarter in Cork or Shop St in Galway.

Develop a walkway from the Clarion hotel all the long the river to Thomond Bridge, with actual cycle lanes and footpaths.

I think the city council needs to plan properly for the redevelopment of Limerick city centre. Most of the above would simply involve giving specific areas a facelift as opposed to any major development. Once the current round of infrastructure development (tunnel and motorway) is complete, people should focus on the city.

As an outsider looking in, I quiet like Limerick. I just think it needs some careful planning and for the people of Limerick to start promoting their own city!

You're dead right about everything said there, and all of this should've been done before any money was wasted on the Opera Centre. I've been saying for years that the dock and Riverside area should be completely refurbished and rebuilt. But we have a **** City Council who prefer to moan about city boundaries instead of actually doing/planning something positive for the city.

They had the opportunity in the last 10 years. They allowed new buildings to be built by the riverside such as Clohessey's, Dunnes, Steamboat Quay, The Clarion, The Riverside Apartments and they allowed these to go ahead without an inch of foresight with regard to revamping that riverside area. They could have totally revamped it and closed off that side road that passes by Clohesseys (a road that's hardly used now), pedestrianised it and designated it for restaurants, Cafés and pubs and encouraged street art and street theatre. But did they? Did they fcuk! The current mayor John Gilligan is an embarrassment to the city, a clueless buffoon. He doesn't have the foresight to wash himself, never mind put a plan for the city in place. Diarmuid Scully, Dick Sadlier and others before him were all completely useless as well. And they'll continue to be useless for the next 20 years no doubt :rolleyes: The Mayor of Limerick isn't an achievers position, it's just a photo/social opportunity. The city councillors are a joke

Itsdacraic

4tothefloor wrote: »

You're dead right about everything said there, and all of this should've been done before any money was wasted on the Opera Centre. I've been saying for years that the dock and Riverside area should be completely refurbished and rebuilt. But we have a **** City Council who prefer to moan about city boundaries instead of actually doing/planning something positive for the city.

The only people wasting money on the Opera Center are the developers not the council. While all the other stuff would be very nice asthecially, I would like to see the Opera Center built before all of those. Patrick St is getting worse and worse every day, the city center is dying a death. The combined Opera Center and 7 day market would be massive boost to the city. They would then in turn attract the numbers needed to make the other projects sustainable. Remember not many people come into town just for a cup of coffee, they come into shop, then visit the cafes.

Fully agree on the area over by Kings Johns Castle, went around there on foot for the first time recently and was amazed by the potential there. They did try something like that with the Castle Tavern but it didn't really attract the numbers and to be honest I would fancy walking back across that area at night, but if the proper street lightening, CCTV, etc was erected you could have a v good area from the Locke back up to the castle. But the money just isn't there for a project like that at the moment and I think shops would struggle to be viable as I don't think we would attract the volume of visitors needed for those type of businesses to thrive.

solice

Money is always going to be a problem, whether we are in a recession or not. But the fact that we are in a recession gives the city an opportunity to prepare for the good days ahead. We probably have 3 more years of recession, think of the work that can be done in that time. Most of what Limerick needs is a facelift, not a redevelopment.

As for not getting enough visitors in to make it sustainable. There is more of that "Limerick self defeatism" that I have seen time and time again over the last four months. Shannon Airport is only 20 minutes away, where do the vast majority of American tourists go when they land? They either go straight up the coast to Galway (passing the Cliffs of Moher, The Burren etc) or they go straight to Kerry, bypassing Limerick.

When a friend of mine from the states visited Ireland last year, we went on a tour of Ireland, Dublin, Kilkenny, Killarney, Bunratty, Galway. We skipped Limerick, not for any reason, just that we didnt think it would be a nice place to go. How much money would come into the city if visitors based themselves in Limerick, equidistant to Galway, Killarney and Cork.

Limerick has all the potential. Stop talking in negatives and start looking at the positive aspects of your city. Cork people are arrogant, because they feel they have something to be arrogant about, Galway people are proud because they are proud of their city.

topper75

Yes, Limerick has a civic pride issue. We need to change and we need leadership from the front.

A facelift is not a 'nice to have' in my opinion. It is essential. Essential because Limerick's traditional neglect of tourism and focus on industry will not serve us well in the 21st century. The Dell collapse is a watershed in the city's history. We are not a lowcost location for manufacturing. There will be an upturn, but not an upturn that involves multinationals relocating their manufacturing back to here!

There has always been huge potential in the city and the OP is quite imaginative and deserves commendation. The 'outsider' perspective is also quite interesting. Living away from Limerick as I do now, I am all too aware of the attitude to Limerick from the outside. Most other Irish don't want to touch it with a long pole. We were unlucky to find ourselves saddled with a bad element. They could have landed anywhere. However, the reluctance to engage with tourists and provide them with a worthwhile experience beyond a rock on a plinth has nothing got to do with luck. We totally took our eye off the ball.

Jumpy

They only want to be mayor so they get to wear the pimp chain.

Aidric

4tothefloor wrote: »

The current mayor John Gilligan is an embarrassment to the city, a clueless buffoon. He doesn't have the foresight to wash himself, never mind put a plan for the city in place. Diarmuid Scully, Dick Sadlier and others before him were all completely useless as well. And they'll continue to be useless for the next 20 years no doubt :rolleyes: The Mayor of Limerick isn't an achievers position, it's just a photo/social opportunity. The city councillors are a joke

Ha, I saw a photo of Gilligan and Kiely in todays paper, the absolute state of em, looked like two walking heart attacks.

solice wrote: »

. Cork people are arrogant, because they feel they have something to be arrogant about,

I don't know what exactly.

smashingred

I think Limerick has shown a level of improvement in the last 10 years or so but I feel there could have been a lot more done-It's disappointing that the ped. of the city couldn't have been finished completely.Do they really have to wait for the tunnel to be finished before starting O Connell St?
I wonder will it even be done now.
O Connell St & William St totally detract form the visible progress that has been made.William St is like Kilburn-cheap shops, bookmakers etc.
The City Fathers really need to get the finger out & do something about it.
I wonder about the Opera Centre-Is it just a 21st Cerntury answer to Arthurs Quay.How much longer is it going to drag on?
Does anyone know when the market regeneration is starting or the redevelopment of the bus/train station.They could both do with a makeover.

RonMexico

Yeah and when are we getting a monorail ffs!

Mr E

!, if you can't post anything constructive, then don't bother posting at all. Post deleted.

old boy

the only thing missing in limerick city and council for the last 20 years was foresight, junkets to nearly every town and city in europe and further afield, not even a brainwave was brought back.

mysterious

Lads Limerick has so much potential its unreal... You have 3 historic regions of the city and no city in Ireland has the city feel quite like it. It has an medieval/Irishtown/Englishtown and now the new fantastic riverside area.


If people actually realised just how much money that can be made out of the city rather than sayiny the opposite...

Look at Henry street Now thats a street to be proud of when you look back over the years.

The problem I think is Limerick- Clare city/county don't work together to maximise the cities potential. Each are competeing each other in the once city which is nuts.

alrightcuz

wow im honestly amazed with a few people on this site to think a person who has moved here seems to have more of an incite an a vision for this city then most of the people who live here all there lives ,
unfortunately the small minded people seem to pop there head up everywhere , "kings island is not a problem to be fixed" just so you can have a place to bring ur friends when they visit or a new coffee shop for you to drink in its home for a few hundred people who love it and wouldn't eat or drink anywhere else in the city just cause your afraid to move around there in the dark doesn't mean they are but i believe if the council and government work in conjunction with the well established organizations down there and the people in general the possibilities are endless,,,,,,

Itsdacraic

Pretty low intellagence alright


I'm not sure if you are ye or ney for the opening post.

alrightcuz

the first comment discussed areas in limerick and there potential ,
included in this was a area known as kings island which apart from great potential it is also has a great sense of itself and a community spirit 2nd to none,,,, so ill explain it like i would to a 5 yr old im for making limerick great im not for eradicating a people for tourism