[Closed] Limerick Businesses Closed V 2.0 [Mod note post 1]

Jofspring

I saw a notice up yesterday but didn't realise it was for closure. Will be passing today so will double check. It was always still busy.

Edit:

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122749778#Comment_122749778

the notice:

Jofspring

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122749787#Comment_122749787

Hadn't shown me you had posted the notice when I stuck it in above.

Poxyshamrock

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122749889#Comment_122749889

no worries. :D

JamesBond2010

Marinaio Chipper in Patrickswell well be closed for a long while now after a fire there on Monday evening.

if it is anything like the drycleaners in dooradoyle who still havent opened yet after the fire they had there.It will be a long time before they open the chipper again.

adaminho

https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/home/1639059/breaking-limerick-s-international-rugby-experience-confirms-its-closure.html

Big blow for the city.

phog

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759637#Comment_122759637

It's not really a big blow, it didn't really attract a footfall to be a blow, nevertheless, it's a shame the council couldn't keep it open.

rjoe90

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759666#Comment_122759666

It will be interesting to see what goes in here. It is definitely an opportunity to bring something here that will draw more people to the city than the rugby museum

breezy1985

What in the serious fuk was the point of this ever existing if it couldn't even hold out this long.

A stand alone museum dedicated to one tiny international sport never really made sense.

jonski

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759693#Comment_122759693

Always thought it looked like it should be a Church of Scientology .

Comhrá

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759693#Comment_122759693

Probably another Dealz…🙄

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759666#Comment_122759666

If the council kept it open they would be ripped to shreds down the road when it becomes clear it's a waste of money.

The whole "donating it to the city" seemed a bit sly to me. Trying to offload a white elephant on to a public body with limited funds.

sleepyman

I would have loved if JP had put the money into building an indoor arena that could host concerts,comedians,boxing,exhibition darts or tennis or whatever.I think that would have yielded a far greater economic dividend to the city.I was always a bit worried that the museum might struggle to get the numbers.

Quitelife

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122759859#Comment_122759859

in other countries someone donating a building that is state of the art and cost 30 million to the local council would be celebrated, here the council don’t want it .

Is there not any imagination from the council to use it for some purpose or is it they way it’s too much like work ie their so lazy and they’ll get paid regardless even if they do nothing

Not made with hands

Probably make nice offices for somebody.

Or apartments.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760115#Comment_122760115

No it wouldn't. In other countries the council would also see a loss making "experience" of no cultural value as a weight around their necks.

If you are going to accuse the council of having no imagination tell us what viable thing you think it could be used for that the building is fit for.

Reputable Rog

Could be Ireland’s largest McDonald’s. The exterior finish is on point.

Tefral

I think it would make a savage high end Cinema with an imax screen. one you price up a bit, real luxurious seats and beer and wine etc.

Insect Overlord

Wonder if it's worth applying for use of some of the space for poetry/spoken word/open mic/creative writing. 🤔

Cetyl Palmitate

It would make a great library

Tefral

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760318#Comment_122760318

Might not, the structure of Librarys are different to other floor plates over the weight of books. Might be well inside tolerances or it might not.

But it would be a cool place for limericks library.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760289#Comment_122760289

I like the idea but, is there enough space there to make an IMAX screen with super sized seats practical? Is the double height top floor the biggest gallery space in there? If it is, I reckon the floorspace isn't there to make a proper IMAX work with a luxury layout in a way that would pay.

Bigger is IMHO better when it comes to IMAX but a smaller hi-end experience would be brilliant if costs could be made work.

Cookiemunster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760318#Comment_122760318

Limericks new library is going into the old town hall at the Opera Site and it will be much larger building than this one.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760115#Comment_122760115

The council got an independent tourism consultant to look at the offer and it was determined that substantial operational and capital funding would be needed to keep it going. I'd rather that taxpayers money was spent on city services rather than keeping a loss making business open.

I'm a massive rugby fan, but I could never figure out where they were going to get the visitors to keep it viable from.

Hibernicis

Sounds like an incredible cock-up. Did they not have a business plan that ran for longer than the first 18 months -surely the first 5 years minimum should have been factored into the plans? Should they not have sorted out the transfer of ownership at the outset rather than as an afterthought ? Is there some game of brinkmanship going on here below the radar ?

Viable alternative uses will be hard to come up with as the design is highly bespoke. The absence of car parking alone will make any crowd based use unattractive given our car dependence and the layout of the building will make it even worse.

It’s a hideously ugly carbuncle on the city’s Main Street that is totally out of proportion and out of place, but if it’s left vacant for any length of time it will become a complete eyesore.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760663#Comment_122760663

I don't see how a lack of parking is a problem.

None of the cities stadiums or large city centre music venues have parking. It's only the university venues that do.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760426#Comment_122760426

There is an awful lot of people fooling themselves about the international popularity of rugby. Also people who seem incredibly naive about how much power a tourist attraction of this scale has for driving tourism.

Glenomra

It is awfully disappointing news. A pity that it was ever built. If it had not been built there wouldn't be the sense of failure about Limerick city that adds to the existing negativity about lack of footfall, high end shops etc that there is today. What was the thinking behind it, a museum with zero artefacts in a building isolated from the other city tourist attractions. My family regularly visit museums, to see actual historical objects, the coins, guns, treasures, maps, books, household objects etc etc that shaped our history. Here a rather random list I know, you had no programme of Munsters famous victories, nothing of Tom Clifford's trips with the Lions, no Tony Ward's boots, no international players' medals, etc etc or any rugby artefact a casual rugby supporter like myself would pay to see. Rather audiovisual displays for people who can bring up any rugby game or incident on their YouTube themselves. I have a friend involved in a limerick shop that meet many of the visitors to limerick. She consistently said that her customers spoke about king John's castle, St. Mary's cathedral, the hunt museum, limerick city museum and some about the people's museum and the art gallery but not the rugby museum. Constructing it was done in good faith but it's real pity that the 30 million wasn't invested in something that would have given the city a badlg needed boost. A real pity.

source

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122760955#Comment_122760955

2 things,

1. it was never intended to be a museum. Its an "experience".

2. It was a private venture, not a public one. If a private individual or group wishes to spend their own money on a venture like this then nobody can stop them.

This was a business venture that failed, not a publicly funded attraction.

breezy1985

Facebook doing it's thing and getting all the details wrong as usual.

Everyone blaming the council for running it into the ground after such a "wonderful gift" from McManus. Loads of people saying the council should use it for this or that despite the council not owning it.

Best of all are those saying "it would never work" it's should be turned into a Limerick museum or an art gallery. In what fuking world world would they be a success. Limerick is full of art galleries that the general public don't give a sht about so the idea that the council should fund this for the little art set needs nipping in the bud.

Strettie11

Why not move the UL School of Architecture into this building out of the dunnes building and the Dunnes site used to build an events centre that has better integration with Arthurs Quay and Sarsfield street. Yes there is a whole load of financial **** to work out but jesus something could be figured out. How can a 30 million building be potentially donated to the city and we cannot figure out a way to use it.

It would be really interesting if the financial review the council did was made public did they consider all alternatives

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122761284#Comment_122761284

What could be put in there and run by the council that wouldn't be a massive drain. What alternatives do you think they should have looked at. Don't forget the deal also said the experience had to stay open until 2028 ?

Gifting it to a university instead of the council could be a good idea if someone has a use for it.

I do think they should keep the shop open. Leave it as is for a year and then turn it into a Ryder cup shop in 2026.