The Market Quarter

Amazotheamazing

Stolen from the facebook page of the Mardi Gras group.


The ‘Market Quarter’ idea is the brainchild of a group of ‘like minded business people’ who made the decision to work together to drive business forward in their area of Limerick and over the past number of months and organisers say the re-development of the Milk Market presented a great opportunity to act as a catalyst for change in the area.

The Market Quarter includes Denmark St, Upper Denmark St, Cornmarket Row, Carr St, Robert St, Ellen Street & Patrick St from the Ellen Street junction to the Denmark Street junction. Venues participating in the event include Phil Flannery’s, The Bailey, O’Connells Bar, The Cuckoo Box, Smyth’s Bar &Icon, Angel Lane Night Club, Flannery’s Bar and Molly Malone’s.

Amazotheamazing

Sp, what would people like to see the Market Quarter become? Limerick's answer to Shop Street or Temple Bar? A one stop place for all party goers in Limerick? A new pedestrianised area?

Anyone (Ken?) know of any other events planned for the area?

Fair play to the businesses involved, sure it's good for business, but it's even better for the city as a whole, imo.

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Sp, what would people like to see the Market Quarter become?

A carpark for the opera centre..

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

A carpark for the opera centre..

Just cause you're too old to go out! Haters going to hate...

Raiser

Best of luck to them, its procative, inventive and going by the reception of Mardi Gras, being very well received.

- The rest of the Limerick Shop/Business Owners seem to be pinning their hopes of survival on maintaining high prices and bitching when nobody visits while blaming everything on the City Council - who incidentally are worse than useless also.....

Stab*City

A marketing ploy to sell more beer.. But hey if your a binge drinking socialite... RESULT!! Cant wait for this weeks pics in out n about.. or whats that other column in the paper jason nash & mike buckleys limerick in lights is it?

Itsdacraic

Stab*City wrote: »

A marketing ploy to sell more beer..

And..........

If it brings crowds to the city center then who cares?

Stab*City

Itsdacraic wrote: »

And..........

If it brings crowds to the city center then who cares?

Maybe the people who use the city centre for other purposes than getting pissed.

Itsdacraic

Stab*City wrote: »

Maybe the people who use the city centre for other purposes than getting pissed.

:rolleyes:

Yes because the city center is a hive of activity at the moment.
What exactly would you need to be doing in that area of a Saturday evening that it would interfere with?? I'm sure Utopia will still be open if that's what's bothering you.

You have a problem with pubs, a lot of people don't and the market (no pun intended) will dictate very quickly if something like this will work or not.

Fair play to people for making the effort and hopefully it works out for them, even if it were only 3 or 4 events a year.

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

Maybe the people who use the city centre for other purposes than getting pissed.

Yes, a few pubs getting together to put on events is pretty much going to destroy the perfect city centre we currently have...

I would hope (maybe dream) that if these pubs are successful, more restaurants will open in the area to take advantage of crowds, more shops will open and open later to avail of the customers, in short, the area is actually somewhere people want to go.

Do you ever walk down Shop Street on a Saturday night? This is a tiny, small step in the right direction towards giving Limerick somewhere like that.

Stab*City

Itsdacraic wrote: »

:rolleyes:

Yes because the city center is a hive of activity at the moment.
What exactly would you need to be doing in that area of a Saturday evening that it would interfere with?? I'm sure Utopia will still be open if that's what's bothering you.

You have a problem with pubs, a lot of people don't and the market (no pun intended) will dictate very quickly if something like this will work or not.

Fair play to people for making the effort and hopefully it works out for them, even if it were only 3 or 4 events a year.

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Hey im all for things happening.. And yes its a good thing that things are happening.. god knows when the rain is back that will put an end to any outdoor celebrations and we will all be stuck again with either the pub/cinema/couch/go karting.. but this is just a ploy to sell more beer simple.. i dont drink as you may notice so im not as excited by the thoughts as you are.

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Hey im all for things happening.. And yes its a good thing that things are happening.. god knows when the rain is back that will put an end to any outdoor celebrations and we will all be stuck again with either the pub/cinema/couch/go karting.. but this is just a ploy to sell more beer simple.. i dont drink as you may notice so im not as excited by the thoughts as you are.

Well, chances are the organisers of the Mardi Gras will read this (Hi Ken!), what would you like to see them do?

For example, I think outdoor concerts would be great, but how about staging some outdoor films somewhere near there, say Arthur's Quay park, or project the film unto one of the walls of St. Michaels Church (or somesuch).

Btw, of course it's a ploy to sell more beer, they are businesses, what do you want them to do? If you want to see free entertainment in the city centre, start a group willing to provide it. Afaik, the Art College has a few such groups you could join/volunteer for.

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Yes, a few pubs getting together to put on events is pretty much going to destroy the perfect city centre we currently have...

I would hope (maybe dream) that if these pubs are successful, more restaurants will open in the area to take advantage of crowds, more shops will open and open later to avail of the customers, in short, the area is actually somewhere people want to go.

Do you ever walk down Shop Street on a Saturday night? This is a tiny, small step in the right direction towards giving Limerick somewhere like that.

I HAVE A DREAM!! AND IN THAT DREAM BLACKS AND WHITES WILL WALK HAND IN HAND AND THE PEOPLE OF LIMERICK CAN RECLAIM THE CITY CENTRE FOR GETTING PISSED.. yey.

LOL calm down it was just one street festival.. lets not get ahead of ourselves..Sure like i said if your a drinker then result!!

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

For example, I think outdoor concerts would be great, but how about staging some outdoor films somewhere near there, say Arthur's Quay park, or project the film unto one of the walls of St. Michaels Church (or somesuch).

Now i like the sound of those ideas.. Plus something for the kids.. maybe a kids parade..

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

I HAVE A DREAM!! AND IN THAT DREAM BLACKS AND WHITES WILL WALK HAND IN HAND AND THE PEOPLE OF LIMERICK CAN RECLAIM THE CITY CENTRE FOR GETTING PISSED.. yey.

LOL calm down it was just one street festival.. lets not get ahead of ourselves..Sure like i said if your a drinker then result!!

It's not so much one festival as people willing to try something that I'm applauding, my missus lives in Galway, i can get drunk on the streets there any time I want. I'm just happy to see Limerick businesses being pro-active for a change. Like I'm glad we had people willing to stage a marathon, even if I may never run it. People going out to try things will always get my support ahead of people whining online.

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

Now i like the sound of those ideas.. Plus something for the kids.. maybe a kids parade..

Ok, ok, I have it, bear with me, it's coming!!

PETTING ZOO!! Woah, yeah, that's it, give me five! Petting Zoo for kids in the morning, then petting zoo themed night for the adults in the evening (see what I did there, genius play on words, a pun if you will). A night called the Petting Zoo, what girl could resist, but mainly a chance for kids to feed animals in the morning!

****, I'm dizzy.

Itsdacraic

How about a badger parade?

zuroph

Stab*City wrote: »

A marketing ploy to sell more beer..

STOP THE PRESS!!! Pubs in "wanting to sell beer" shocker!!!!

Ploy is such a dirty word, try initiative.

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

People going out to try things will always get my support ahead of people whining online.

Well its the publicans looking for your money support not me so your onto a winner there..

Raiser

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Ok, ok, I have it, bear with me, it's coming!!

PETTING ZOO!! Woah, yeah, that's it, give me five! Petting Zoo for kids in the morning, then petting zoo themed night for the adults in the evening (see what I did there, genius play on words, a pun if you will). A night called the Petting Zoo, what girl could resist, but mainly a chance for kids to feed animals in the morning!

****, I'm dizzy.

Ok, just so we're clear - you're proposing a Heavy Petting Zoo?

Itsdacraic wrote: »

How about a badger parade?

Followed by Foxy Boxing and Monkey Knife-Fighting?

zuroph wrote: »

STOP THE PRESS!!! Pubs in "wanting to sell beer" shocker!!!!

Ploy is such a dirty word, try initiative.

The Genius of Spin - He'd probably write off a day trip from the Retirement Home as "Geriatrics in coke-fuelled shocker Coach-trip Orgy"

ronanc15

@stab*city.....your negativity throughout limerick threads really does get old extremely fast.


To answer the OP more well managed outdoor events. The security/stewarding/guards were central to the success of saturday night

Icky Thump

Stab*City wrote: »

Well its the publicans looking for your money support not me so your onto a winner there..

wow. just wow.

people like you complain that nothing good ever happens in Limerick and then when something good happens for the palce you find flaws in it................................ or in this case not find flaws but start bitching about it instead.

stop being douchey:D

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Now i like the sound of those ideas.. Plus something for the kids.. maybe a kids parade..

I took my 2 kids into Denmark street on Saturday evening.
Guess what??
They had a great time.
Such a positive event as this does struggle to appease the more negative of citizens.
There's no pleasing some folk.

Great atmosphere on a street that i will admit attracts some imposing figures on occasion.

RonMexico

I'd heard Stab City loves Joe Duffy. Sets the alarm on the cooker to go off when Liveline is on


I'm raging I missed the Mardi Gras...couldn't afford it as I was going to Bob Dylan and out on the town afterwards. Would love to see more of this kind of thing. That area of the city is buzzing at the moment. Long may it continue.

Stab*City

ronanc15 wrote: »

@stab*city.....your negativity throughout limerick threads really does get old extremely fast.

And you lack of posts throughout the limerick threads makes me not care what you think..

Stab*City

Icky Thump wrote: »

wow. just wow.

people like you complain that nothing good ever happens in Limerick and then when something good happens for the palce you find flaws in it................................ or in this case not find flaws but start bitching about it instead.

stop being douchey:D

Again this is an meerly a drinks promotion.. not the F**King regeneration project!

Stab*City

gihj wrote: »

I took my 2 kids into Denmark street on Saturday evening.
Guess what??
They had a great time.

Good for you.

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Good for you.

Yes and good for all the kids that attended as well.
You're missing the point.
It was for adults AND kids.
So had you researched it properly you would have seen that it was not only aimed at selling beer (not your scene) but also for the kids (what you previously asked for).

Never mind.
Carry on with your on screen persona (adopted or otherwise).

ronanc15

Stab*City wrote: »

And you lack of posts throughout the limerick threads makes me not care what you think..

Wow, haha. Just wow.

Firstly, because I only post where I feel it is relevant or of some value to the thread that makes my opinion of less value than yours. It's a post count buddy, get a life.

Secondly, judging by your fantastic posts and simply by your username you are one of these people who thrives in the idea of Limerick being portrayed as a sh1thole and seem to resist any change away from this idea.

You're entitled to your own opinion as is everyone else but a bit of maturity and a wider view of things would go a long way.

johnmolloy554

Stab*City wrote: »

Well its the publicans looking for your money support not me so your onto a winner there..

If the Mardi Gras isn't your thing, so be it but don't use your time and efforts in bad mouthing it. Why not use the time in promoting the events that you enjoy and be an asset to those events rather than a liability to festivals like Mardi Gras.

Itsdacraic

Stab*City wrote: »

Again this is an meerly a drinks promotion.. not the F**King regeneration project!

Galway have built a thriving tourism trade based on "drinks promotions" as you call them. If Limerick gets a reputation for being able to throw a good party then nearly everyone in the city benefits not just pubs. Hotels, restaurants, taxi men, Romanian flower sellers etc.

Just because you are in the minority doesn't give you the right to dismiss other peoples attempts to get the city center back on it's feet.

Go away and run a cultural film festival and see how many people it attracts.

Amazotheamazing

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Go away and run a cultural film festival and see how many people it attracts.

Hey, what's wrong with cultural film festivals?

How about this for a film festival plan.

First night, use the wall at the end of Augustian Lane (beside Mickey Martins) as the screen.
Second night use the interior ceiling of the market, yes that's right, lie on your back watch movies on the ceiling, freaky.
Third night inside Daghda (or St. Mary's Cathedral)
Fourth Night set a screen up inside the Courtyard of King John's Castle
etc etc.

We all say we want a city centre cinema, how about we get Stab to turn the city centre into a cinema for a week? Who's with me? Go for it Stab! Just roll tape.

talkingclock

Itsdacraic wrote: »

Go away and run a cultural film festival and see how many people it attracts.

In scumbag town? Yeah right...

Amazotheamazing

talkingclock wrote: »

In scumbag town? Yeah right...

Sigh, the Belltable have run a film festival for the last few years, as well as showing Arthouse films fairly frequently (prior to the current renovation) Storm also had a Japanese film festival last summer.

It's an awful pity we never met up TC, think of all the subtitled films we could have shared! If only you'd shared your interest in cultural films earlier...

Stab*City

gihj wrote: »

Yes and good for all the kids that attended as well.
You're missing the point.
It was for adults AND kids.
So had you researched it properly you would have seen that it was not only aimed at selling beer (not your scene) but also for the kids (what you previously asked for).

Never mind.
Carry on with your on screen persona (adopted or otherwise).

Whats there to research it was a big piss up.. Not where i want to bring my kids.. each to his own though..

screen persona.. lol

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Whats there to research it was a big piss up.. Not where i want to bring my kids.. each to his own though..

screen persona.. lol

Were you there?????
No.

Was i there??
Yes.

Incorrect.
Try again pal.

Stab*City

gihj wrote: »

Were you there?????
No.

Was i there??
Yes.

Incorrect.
Try again pal.

Who said i wasnt there? I said i didnt drink..

Itsdacraic

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

Hey, what's wrong with cultural film festivals?

How about this for a film festival plan.

First night, use the wall at the end of Augustian Lane (beside Mickey Martins) as the screen.
Second night use the interior ceiling of the market, yes that's right, lie on your back watch movies on the ceiling, freaky.
Third night inside Daghda (or St. Mary's Cathedral)
Fourth Night set a screen up inside the Courtyard of King John's Castle
etc etc.

We all say we want a city centre cinema, how about we get Stab to turn the city centre into a cinema for a week? Who's with me? Go for it Stab! Just roll tape.

There is nothing wrong with it. It would be great and the more events like that the better but unless it's a very established festival it will struggle to draw any sort of meaningful crowd. A film festival would need to be run in conjunction with a party/drink fest type thing.

Look at the Cork Jazz festival, it draws huge crowds, yet in any of the years I was there I don't think I saw as much as a saxaphone, and the same would have gone for a lot people. They went for the atmosphere, craic as opposed to the actual jazz.

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Who said i wasnt there? I said i didnt drink..

So you DID see the kids then??
You just choose to ignore that on here to push your agenda (whatever that may be).
Is it worth it i wonder??
I wish i had the energy day after day.

Amazotheamazing

Itsdacraic wrote: »

There is nothing wrong with it. It would be great and the more events like that the better but unless it's a very established festival it will struggle to draw any sort of meaningful crowd. A film festival would need to be run in conjunction with a party/drink fest type thing.

Look at the Cork Jazz festival, it draws huge crowds, yet in any of the years I was there I don't think I saw as much as a saxaphone, and the same would have gone for a lot people. They went for the atmosphere, craic as opposed to the actual jazz.

We really missed out on making riverfest something big the year after Eightball had it, that year was epic. Maybe the marathon is a step towards fixing that but I don't know.

I don't think it does anyone any good to compare with very well established events like the Jazz festival, or Arts week or Race week in Galway, all those events have been going for decades at this stage. I'd be happy enough if any of the current events just got established enough to be considered annual, after that we can worry about making them big deals to people from outside Limerick.

However, things are improving, concerts in Thomond Park, Pig and Porter, Riverfest, Mardi Gras etc. We still in the very early days, imo.

Stab*City

gihj wrote: »

So you DID see the kids then??
You just choose to ignore that on here to push your agenda (whatever that may be).
Is it worth it i wonder??
I wish i had the energy day after day.

Kids there or not i dont want my kids anywhere near a pub or place where people are openly getting drunk.. as for my agenda i simply call it as i see it.. a drinks promotion.. as for your energy levels only you can fix that..

Amazotheamazing

gihj wrote: »

So you DID see the kids then??
You just choose to ignore that on here to push your agenda (whatever that may be).
Is it worth it i wonder??
I wish i had the energy day after day.

It's a hard road if you're going to argue with the resident negatives on this board gihj. After a while I think you just have accept some people can't help, and possibly enjoy, being negative.

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

We really missed out on making riverfest something big the year after Eightball had it, that year was epic. Maybe the marathon is a step towards fixing that but I don't know.

I don't think it does anyone any good to compare with very well established events like the Jazz festival, or Arts week or Race week in Galway, all those events have been going for decades at this stage. I'd be happy enough if any of the current events just got established enough to be considered annual, after that we can worry about making them big deals to people from outside Limerick.

However, things are improving, concerts in Thomond Park, Pig and Porter, Riverfest, Mardi Gras etc. We still in the very early days, imo.

I agree with everything you just said.. i just dont agree with blatant drinks promotions being masquerading as our citys saviour..

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Kids there or not i dont want my kids anywhere near a pub or place where people are openly getting drunk.. as for my agenda i simply call it as i see it.. a drinks promotion.. as for your energy levels only you can fix that..

Your choice obviously.
However,
I don't believe you were there going by your earlier posts.
And if you were then you didn't see what i saw which was a fun event for all ages.
You are the only person i have come across since then without anything positive to say about it.

You call it how you don't see it.;)

Stab*City

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

It's a hard road if you're going to argue with the resident negatives on this board gihj. After a while I think you just have accept some people can't help, and possibly enjoy, being negative.

spoken like a true sheep... baaaaa...:D:D:D

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

I agree with everything you just said.. i just dont agree with blatant drinks promotions being masquerading as our citys saviour..

I don't see any claims on the literature regarding this event being the cities saviour.

Saviour from what exactly???
The likes of you and your adopted opinions?

Try to give positivity a go sometime??
Who knows,you may even enjoy it.

Stab*City

gihj wrote: »

Your choice obviously.

Look of course i know that alot of good things came about because of the events.. i actaully seen people doing security that i know for a fact have never worked before.. plus it made all you lot happy.. but im sorry until i have something regular to do in my city thats enjoyable and does not involve alchohol no i wont be f**king happy..

gihj

Stab*City wrote: »

Look of course i know that alot of good things came about because of the events.. i actaully seen people doing security that i know for a fact have never worked before.. plus it made all you lot happy.. but im sorry until i have something regular to do in my city thats enjoyable and does not involve alchohol no i wont be f**king happy..

Regarding your present lifestyle issues...
Only you can fix that.....:D

Itsdacraic

Amazotheamazing wrote: »

We really missed out on making riverfest something big the year after Eightball had it, that year was epic. Maybe the marathon is a step towards fixing that but I don't know.

I don't think it does anyone any good to compare with very well established events like the Jazz festival, or Arts week or Race week in Galway, all those events have been going for decades at this stage. I'd be happy enough if any of the current events just got established enough to be considered annual, after that we can worry about making them big deals to people from outside Limerick.

However, things are improving, concerts in Thomond Park, Pig and Porter, Riverfest, Mardi Gras etc. We still in the very early days, imo.

I post quiet a bit on that at the time. It really was a missed opportunity, but one that could easily be grasped again in the coming years.

There is great scope there to make Limerick synonymous with the May Bank Holiday weekend. But they need to broaden the scope of their advertising, a few ads on Galway/Cork/Tipperary local radio stations to draw people in from other counties. The potential is there but whether we have the resources/capability to tap into it is another matter.

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

I agree with everything you just said.. i just dont agree with blatant drinks promotions being masquerading as our citys saviour..

Perhaps, but I don't expect anything more from a series of bars.

What i would like to see, moreso than one-off festivals like last weekend, would be a realistic plan for the continued development of the "Market Quarter". A part of Limerick's problem on a night out is that the pubs you would choose to go to can be very far apart. for example, I might start in the Curragower, move towards Mickey's, have a few in the Wicked Chicken and head towards Dolans. That suits me because I know what I want from each place, but a casual tourist in Limerick, being told the best pubs are two miles apart just won't bother.

I'd like to see the Market Quarter is the primary place to go out in Limerick. Thomas Street has been redeveloped and looks great, as has Bakers Place, hopefully something similar can happen around the Cornmarket to make it an attractive place to go as a tourist. That means more cafes, more restaurants and more diverse pubs (ie, a Beirhaus type place, a place with trad music, etc). At the minute, imo, the various streets there look very run down and slightly dis-spirited. It's a place that could benefit from street landscaping etc.

An ideal template for this, imo, is Shop Street/Quay Street in Galway, plenty of ok to good pubs in a small area, surrounded by decent restaurants (very few very good ones, mostly cheapish, ok-ish food) and some good shops (sadly less and less every year). They survive year on year because they all provide a compact place for tourists to go and have a good time. Same to a degree with Temple Bar in Dublin. I'm not expecting miracles, just that one area be developed as the social hub of the city. The other areas (Thomas St and Baker's Place) should continue to carve out their niche.

I'd glad the pubs have gotten together to do this type of stuff though, because you need something to kick-start any regeneration. I'll be happier still if the entire area develops more. We're in a recession though, it's a shame this initiative wasn't taken when there was money to spend.

Amazotheamazing

Itsdacraic wrote: »

I post quiet a bit on that at the time. It really was a missed opportunity, but one that could easily be grasped again in the coming years.

There is great scope there to make Limerick synonymous with the May Bank Holiday weekend. But they need to broaden the scope of their advertising, a few ads on Galway/Cork/Tipperary local radio stations to draw people in from other counties. The potential is there but whether we have the resources/capability to tap into it is another matter.

To be honest, I wouldn't be rushing it. I'd let the marathon get established, let the weekend itself grow naturally (to an extent) and let word of mouth grow. Word of mouth is the best propaganda.