Major monument for Limerick?

dv

http://www.limericktoday.com/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=3419&ArticleID=1970065

What do people think would be a good idea for a monument for Limerick? And where should it go?

I think Arthurs Quay would be a great place, if it wasn't for the oft-discussed fact that it's at the arse end of everything. Maybe a pedestrianised O'Connell Street? Of course that would limit the size a bit and the centre of the street will probably have to be kept clear. Poor man's Kilkee is an interesting sort of location, but obviously it all depends on what the monument actually is (assuming it's ever anything).

Anyone have any decent ideas?

vkid

dv wrote:

http://www.limericktoday.com/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=3419&ArticleID=1970065

What do people think would be a good idea for a monument for Limerick? And where should it go?

I think Arthurs Quay would be a great place, if it wasn't for the oft-discussed fact that it's at the arse end of everything. Maybe a pedestrianised O'Connell Street? Of course that would limit the size a bit and the centre of the street will probably have to be kept clear. Poor man's Kilkee is an interesting sort of location, but obviously it all depends on what the monument actually is (assuming it's ever anything).

Anyone have any decent ideas?

well since its supposed to be a river side city, something bang smack in the middle of the river between Sarsfield bridge/Shannon bridge/Clohessys Pub side/Hilton Side. A big fountain type thing in the middle there would definitely put focus on the river if done well..or i could be talking crap..

Poxyshamrock

OMG, that is Exactly what i thought even in the exact same location, a giant fountain or geyser like thing coming out of the river. Great minds think alike eh?

source

why not a large observation tower style structure in arthurs quay park.

1huge1

Id rather it in somewere like bedford row so more people shopping etc could see it
Id be in favour of a big fountain

Liam Byrne

Arthurs Quay used to have a monument to the "Wild Geese" emigrants, except some scumbags ruined it with graffiti :mad:

All of the improvements to the city should be welcomed, but if the council and whoever else are investing in thise improvements, then they should also be entitled to whack scumbags who deface them over the head with a large hammer......I'd recommend Tracy Barlow for the job!

Re the monument - the one in the river is a nice idea, but it wouldn't serve as a focal/meeting point (think Dublin's "chime in the grime" from the millenium fiasco) and the tides might make it awkward.

I'd be more interested in seeing something accessible, and also in ensuring that the riverside walks are always open and that the kids that drink by the quayside under the old swivel part of Sarsfield Bridge are moved on and forced to take their rubbish with them.

scrattletrap

The wild geese is behind city hall now.

I agree with LB, better things to be spending the money on that will improve the appearance and attitude in the city. They have already started the canal development (and so far it's looking great) so a continuation of that would be great.

ninty9er

A fountain would be aesthetically quite acceptable.

There's only one problem with fountains

(well 2 if you want to put one on Bedford Row)

1. The whole place would have to be dug up again and wouldn't be put back right because that would be expecting council workers to do more than lean on a shovel

2. Wind....The wind that comes up from the river is almighty. people would be soaked by water being blown all over the place



I think a statue of JP McManus would be a good idea seeing how much the city has benefitted from him making donations instead of paying tax in this country

Is there a statue of Patrick Sarsfield anywhere in Limerick???

Otherwise some abstract art

scrattletrap

There is a statue of Sarsfield by St. John's Cathedral.

billy the squid

The plan is to attract a million tourists to Limerick with this monument, I don't think a statue of JP, no matter how great he is, would do this.

Personally I would like to see the new bridge given back its whistle, but then you would have people moaning about it like they did with taits clock. Now taits clock sounds like someone hitting a load of pots and pans.

How about moving the treaty stome to the middle of o'connell street and putting it on a massive pillar like Nelson's pillar.

limerick_man

This is by far the most ridiculous idea i have ever heard of, and I'm usually in favour of huge scale ideas.

For one, unless the 'thing' cost BILLIONS, your not going to receive international media coverage on the thing. The reason people go see the effiel tower is because its recognisable the world over, same with the statue of Liberty, also recognisible the world over and represents freedom to those who risked their lives to get there. The are recognisible because people see them often, many movies are set in New York, Paris and even the Big Ben in London.

Safe to say, as great as The Spire is for Dublin its not attracting millions of visitors, most visitors probably only hear of it when they get here... Irelands sign of prosperity (although a massive engineering sucess) doesnt bring the same crowds to touch it as the Blarney stone does to kiss it.

I going to compare Limerick to Chicago, both third cities of their respective countries... Some of the above ideas:

A) A fountain, possibly on O'Connell Street or Bedford Row > I seriously cannot see how a fountain on either of these narrow streets could make an international impact. Chicago has Buckingham Fountain which is the centrepiece of acres of parkland, a fountain taking up about the same amount of space as 2 of our small ity blocks. Its only national/international fame: being in the opening of Married with Children.

A giant Gyser coming of out the river > Also already in Chicago, they fly from one side of the Chicago River to the other, get turned off when boats need to go through. Unknown outside of Chicago.

C) Statue > Unless we did some giant statue of god and proclaimed that god himself spoke to the artist that it needed to be done, i dont think it'd be an earner in any way for the city, hasnt done much for Knock.

D) Abstract Art > Chicago streets are filled with abstract art, it promotes itself as an outdoor gallery. Not many people know this and I'm not sure Limerick compete with Chicago never mind have this fact about our city become more well known.

E) Changing the current treaty stone > I think most people recognise the stone more for the pillar it on then the actual stone, its been promoted as such for years and i cant see the GAA being happy to have to change the Limerick logo. :P . Plus i dont see the stone on a bigger pillar alone bringing millions of visitors to the city.

I just think this whole idea is a waste of money, why not spen it on actually doing something progressive open up a type of 'history in ireland through the ages' where you walk through time, a huge interactive place that anyone checking up on coming to Ireland would hear about. Add to things to actually do in Limerick rather then things to just glimpse at while bored here.

I dunno, i'm just a little scared they got this idea from listening to an april fools prank 2 years back on live 95fm. They said on the Ed Myers show that the city council was building something twice the size of the spire with a giant rugby ball on top. "PARIS has the Eiffel Tower, Dublin boasts The Spire and now plans are afoot to develop an iconic structure for Limerick city .... Limerick's sporting reputation is likely to feature prominently"

iguana

How about a giant riverside ferris wheel just like nearly every city in the UK.:rolleyes: The capsules could be made to look like rugby balls.;)

Seriously, it sounds to me like the money could be better spent on a state of the art public transport system. With buses connected by satelite so when you go to the bus stop it could tell you exactly where the bus you want is and how long it will take to get to you based on distance and traffic conditions. You could also get this information sent to your mobile or email.

The technology exists to do this and I think it would probably impress tourists more than a stupid statue. And it would be of everyday benefit to the people paying for it.

1huge1

limerick_man you know quiet a lot about chicago makes me want to go there now
a giant rugby ball its brilliant

I also like the idea of a underwater fountain squirting water to the other side of the river or how about it going over a bridge
would be brilliant

Karmafaerie

Personally, I don't see how this is gonna work.
What could the possibly build that would be more impressive to a tourist than King Johns Castle?
It would have to be something very clever, or inventive and I just don't see that happening.

What about upgrading the walk to Thomond Park?
Seeing as the new City Center is going to be Bedford Row/O'Connell St., you could start it there with something major and then have a series of smaller attractions all the way out to the stadium. And then finish it with another bigger attraction outside the park.
That way tourists would have the focal point in the center of the city, and could then walk out to the stadium as something to do, even if there isn't a match on.
That would take in sport obviously, but also would be along the Shannon, go past the Treaty Stone, be as much an activity as an attraction, and would be relatively cheap.

Personally for the main attraction in the city center, I think a bronzed set of rugby goalposts would be fairly cool. You could have a bronzed rugby ball set up for a penalty just down from it, so tourists could take photos of themselves taking a penalty.
Just a thought.

ninty9er

Karmafaerie wrote:

I think a bronzed set of rugby goalposts would be fairly cool. You could have a bronzed rugby ball set up for a penalty just down from it, so tourists could take photos of themselves taking a penalty.
Just a thought.

Someone would first of all say they didn't see the ball and sue the City council because they tripped on it and then another scumbag would rob it

Karmafaerie

ninty9er wrote:

Someone would first of all say they didn't see the ball and sue the City council because they tripped on it and then another scumbag would rob it

It would be hard to rob a lump of bronze bolted onto the ground, and as long as the council put up a warning declamation, the couldn't be sued.
You can't sue the council if you walk into a pole, or stub your toe on one of those raising barriers on Cruises St.
I'm sure somebody would try and sue, but they wouldn't have a legal leg to stand on (pardon the pun!:D ).
Anyway, it was just an idea.

limerick_man

That actually sounds pretty cool, i doubt it would attract a million visitors to the city, but something like that on O'Connell street with a plaque commemerating the 15,000 and 40,000 people who stood their. And that the block was 'honorarily' called Paul O'Connell Street... that would be so mad.

One post the that plaque and the other with some Limerick logo where visitors took take pictures.... be ****e pics to get d whole things in but a cool idea non the less

motormouthmable

A space for public scumbag floggins maybe?
"Here you can see live what others show only on youtube"

Would be busy all year round...

sioda

The wild geese memorial behind city hall has been vadalised as well it was tipped out of the pond it was in.

source

Karmafaerie wrote:

Personally, I don't see how this is gonna work.
What could the possibly build that would be more impressive to a tourist than King Johns Castle?
It would have to be something very clever, or inventive and I just don't see that happening.

What about upgrading the walk to Thomond Park?
Seeing as the new City Center is going to be Bedford Row/O'Connell St., you could start it there with something major and then have a series of smaller attractions all the way out to the stadium. And then finish it with another bigger attraction outside the park.
That way tourists would have the focal point in the center of the city, and could then walk out to the stadium as something to do, even if there isn't a match on.
That would take in sport obviously, but also would be along the Shannon, go past the Treaty Stone, be as much an activity as an attraction, and would be relatively cheap.

Personally for the main attraction in the city center, I think a bronzed set of rugby goalposts would be fairly cool. You could have a bronzed rugby ball set up for a penalty just down from it, so tourists could take photos of themselves taking a penalty.
Just a thought.

I have to say this and the bus network are the best ideas here so far and both would prob be feasable.

motormouthmable

I can't see how a legion of tourists will come to limerick just from hearing "They have a great public transport system there! Lets spend a weekend in Limerick for hopping on to their buses!"

1huge1

well it would be of more benefit to us definetly but as for attrracting a million tourists ya right

iguana

motormouthmable wrote:

I can't see how a legion of tourists will come to limerick just from hearing "They have a great public transport system there! Lets spend a weekend in Limerick for hopping on to their buses!"

Don't underestimate the effect of public transport on tourism. I live in London and the whole Oyster and it's effect on tourism has barely been off the news last week. While obviously Limerick and London are two completely different places, there is no denying that London has a myriad of amazing tourist attractions, too numerous to list. Yet the retailers and people who run the tourist attractions are worried that the fact that tourists aren't aware enough that it is cheaper to use an Oyster than a paper ticket could have terrible effect on tourism.

While tourists wouldn't be coming to Limerick to see the buses, the fact that they were able to navigate the city on a state of the art system would lead to positive reviews of the city when they talk to other people. When I plan a holiday I look for advice on how easy it is to get around, both during the day and at night, because I would rather not spend my cash on taxi's. And has already been pointed out earlier in the thread, is a fountain/statue really going to compete with King John's castle?

4tothefloor

Karmafaerie wrote:

What about upgrading the walk to Thomond Park?
Seeing as the new City Center is going to be Bedford Row/O'Connell St., you could start it there with something major and then have a series of smaller attractions all the way out to the stadium. And then finish it with another bigger attraction outside the park.
That way tourists would have the focal point in the center of the city, and could then walk out to the stadium as something to do, even if there isn't a match on.
That would take in sport obviously, but also would be along the Shannon, go past the Treaty Stone, be as much an activity as an attraction, and would be relatively cheap.

Personally for the main attraction in the city center, I think a bronzed set of rugby goalposts would be fairly cool. You could have a bronzed rugby ball set up for a penalty just down from it, so tourists could take photos of themselves taking a penalty.
Just a thought.

Yea that's all well and good, but what about people who can't stand rugby or have no interest in it? Rugby is a worldwide minority sport, and apart from Australasia, elsewhere football is king. Even in the 6 nations countries. What Americans would want to walk to Thomond Park? What Europeans? Not that many, rugby isn't as popular as you think it is you know! And anyway, why does everything have to be rugby related? If you go to Liverpool, everything doesn't revolve around football.......they have the beatles, a rich music heritage etc.

If rugby statues are to be put up, put them up at Thomand Park, like most football clubs do to honour their past greats/achievements. I'd like to see a tribute to Richard Harris myself, and possibly the Cranberries. Both internationally renowned artists and this side of culture is one that Limerick sadly doesn't pay enough attention to. Even though I'm a big sports fan I'm blue in the face of hearing about Munster and our 'sports mad city' (which is a load of crap as where are all these supporters when it comes to gaa/soccer? On the Munster bandwagon......). Something none sports and inventive would be nice....

Liam Byrne

motormouthmable wrote:

A space for public scumbag floggins maybe?
"Here you can see live what others show only on youtube"

Would be busy all year round...

Jaysus, motormouthable......you're saying that a city of 90-odd thousand has only 365 scumbags ? Less than half a percent ? That's a compliment coming from you! Course, we'd have to find an extra volunteer worthy of a flogging once every four years.....maybe you'd could suggest someone for that considering all your posts indicate that you're SO interested in improving Limerick and not dragging it down ?

Aside from the above begrudgery, lots of what's been put forward is of merit; the thing is, no city can base millions of tourists on one major attraction or monument, and that can't be the only criteria - I can't imagine anyone visiting Dublin to take a photo of themselves at the Needle - putting a marked route past all the attractions between the city centre and Thomond Park is one good idea (lots of historic attractions on the route including St Mary's Cathedral, The Exchange and King John's Castle, to name but a few) but it should done as just one of many attractions in the city.

dv

4tothefloor wrote:

I'd like to see a tribute to Richard Harris myself...

He's getting a statue on Bedford Row. Haven't heard anything about it in a while but I'm sure it'll pop up eventually, hopefully when the savoy development is finished.

Poxyshamrock

From what I've heard the statue is under construction.

1huge1

i thought he already had one in kilkee or something
read somewere about russle crowe being here for it

motormouthmable

LB, I thought City Council or the responsible Flogging Authority could hold two daily events with a bunch of approx 10 scumbags each time and a third hardcore session on Saturday night. There is still enough stock for it.

But seriously - the other side: how will this town cope with this AMOUNT of visitors? Space for people? Transport (roads, busses, trains)? Hotels (ok, there should be now enough hotels)?

All proposals here in the board are things that limerick people from the board would like to see. Who the heck is Richard Harris? Any Japanese taking a flight to see a monument of that who-is-it-again just because he's from Limerick? Is Kilkee now swamped by myriads of Hollywood fans? Do you see YOURSELF flying to Tokio to see a monument of Nagase Masatoshi? Any Italians coming over to have a walk to Thomond Park? Do you see YOURSELF going to Treviglio just to walk to their local table tennis hall with a bunch of balls, nets and racquets leading the way?

See, ye are just talking about something itty-bitty with local intrest but not about something real stunning thing to attract visitors. i have to say me myself has no idea what it could be because i just don't see the space to place that whatever-it-is into the town centre. ah, an idea: another new shopping centre with a M&S in it maybe?

Liam Byrne

Just bear in mind that the Eiffel Tower was originally meant as a temporary structure......

Karmafaerie

To everyone who said something about the lack of interest in rugby worldwide, I don't think I made myself very clear.
The initial article stated that the council wanted and intended for it to be sport related. That' is why rugby featured so strongly in what I said.
I think we can all agree that when people think of Limerick and sport, Munster is the first thing that comes to mind (Although hopefully the new rowing center out in UL can give Limerick something else to be proud of in years to come.)

My idea was for the walk to incorporate every aspect of Limerick.
Think about it, the Shannon itself, Treaty Stone, St Mary's Cathedral, the Hunt Museum, and King John's Castle, would all already be on the route.
When I said that a load of further new items could be built, I didn't mean to suggest that they all be rugby related, just that they all be built along a set route so to speak, so that many smaller attractions could make one larger one.
Maybe starting on O'Connell Street, heading down Patrick Street, down past the Potato Market and up past the castle, across Thomond Bridge and out the road to the stadium.
Then back along Clancy strand to the city center.
The whole way along having attractions and monuments to different aspects of Limerick. You could even have an open-top bus for those who can't, or don't want to walk.

It's fairly obvious why sport is angle that Limerick City Council are playing up.
It's clear that national and international opinions of Limerick tend to be the kind foisted out by the likes of MMM. The council simply grabbed onto anything that wasn't "stab" related and ran with it.
And it has worked. Whenever there's an Ireland rugby match, you'll find lots of tourists in Limerick in the days leading up.
They come to Limerick first, and then up to Dublin for the match (not all obviously, but a fair few do.)
Rugby was latched onto, because that's what the people hitched their wagons to.
Limerick hasn't won an All-Ireland since 73, and while Limerick FC has a great history, the last few years haven't exactly been great.:(

Personally, I think more should be made of our military history.
All too often it gets pushed to the back, probably because people think that it has bad connotations of all the crap spouted by the Dublin based media!
Thing is though, our city motto is "Urbs Antiqua Fuit Studiisque Asperrima Belli", after all (An ancient city well versed in the arts of war).
I think the three sieges of Limerick should be made more of.

P.S: I agree with you 4ToTheFloor, Liverpool isn't all about football, but then your comparisons aren't really great.
Liverpool has a population of over half a million, for one thing, and the Beatles are to be honest the most popular band ever!
You can't realistically compare them to the Cranberries!:rolleyes:
Liverpool is gifted in having one of the most famous bands, and most famous clubs in the world, and they do plug both for tourism for all they're worth.
You say the word Liverpool to somebody, and they're more likely to think of the club than the city.