City centre discussed on Newstalk this morning

thesimpsons

parking is an excuse, not an issue. I would go to town about 2/3 times a week, always just for a quick visit. always get street parking and pay 50c per half hour with the park magic unit, or 2euro for a 2 hour slot. I don't know where other people are expecting to park but I have never yet failed to get a space within less than a 10 minute walk of O'Connel/Henry Street. It would take you that long to exit a multi-story carpark on foot and same going back in taking into account queuing up to pay.

Poxyshamrock

The reason parking is such a problem in Limerick compared to other cities is due to the fact that hardly anyone lives in the city centre! Something like 48,000 live within the city limits compared to 60000 living in the environs! Ifpeople lived closer to the city, they would walk/cycle and use the facilities offered!
People in Ballycummin or Annacotty won't come the way into town for a cup of coffee or a movie when they can do that in their own area.

Amazotheamazing

there's a lot of issues.

Fwiw, it's worth remembering that for years Limerick couldn't pedestrainise the main streets because national routes used to run through them. The city still badly needs a Northern bypass and ideally the tunnel wouldn't be tolled. Over the last decade road building has allowed the council begin the process of pedestrainisation. It's a long process though.

Another issue is the out of town shopping centres, something that was beyond the city council's control. Galway, with a similar population has nothing like the Crescent and has far fewer retail parks too. All of these take away a certain % of people from the city centre.

Another issue is the the high rate of social housing in the city centre. These estates cost a lot to maintain, and the money that these estates swallow is money that should be going towards parks, lower rates etc.

Cork, Dublin and Galway also all have city centre colleges, by comparison LIT and UL are a bit of town. The original plan was to build UL on the Island field, something that would have radically changed the city. In addition, UL is far younger than the other colleges, it's only been a university for 20 years. By comparison, Galway and Cork have had colleges for over 150 years. That affects the culture of the city. Even in the few years the Art college has been on one campus has lead to changes in the John st/Broad st. area.

The city centre is also very spread out. Galway is effectively two streets with public parks at either end. Cork's city centre is bigger but it's not as big as the distance from the Market to Roche's street. That's a very big "footprint" for a small city. We also lack a social centre in the way Quay street is for Galway. Ideally we'll see the Market Quarter grow into that. The area needs street-scape improvements and more restaurants, imo.

These are all things that cause far more trouble than guys walking around town in tracksuits, imo.

jonski

So here is how this thread seems to be going as regards the parking issue/non issue .

Some ppl come in and say it is an issue , others say it isn't it is only an excuse .

Then we have this guy

A1Nutboy wrote: »

As someone who was involved in trying to keep a business in Limerick open and in the city I can honestly say that Parking was the biggest issue. People do not want to park half a mile away and walk to a shop, potentially in the rain when they can park very close by in a shopping centre/retail park and not get wet.

Its a simple fact. In Ireland people love their cars and want to use them. It rains so much that people dont want to have to walk around town.

Parking IS the number 1 issue. Rates is also a very large issue but customers dont see that side obviously.

And then we go straight back to more posters saying it isn't an issue at all , just an excuse .

If , like me , it's an issue at times , say so , if it isn't an issue for you say so , but lets stop with the blanket statements unless like the poster above you have experience in real terms of how it is effecting business ( assuming the above poster is genuine ) .

Amazotheamazing

jonski wrote: »

So here is how this thread seems to be going as regards the parking issue/non issue .

Some ppl come in and say it is an issue , others say it isn't it is only an excuse .

Then we have this guy




And then we go straight back to more posters saying it isn't an issue at all , just an excuse .

If , like me , it's an issue at times , say so , if it isn't an issue for you say so , but lets stop with the blanket statements unless like the poster above you have experience in real terms of how it is effecting business ( assuming the above poster is genuine ) .

Well it's more nuanced that that. In Galway for example, you've no choice but to go to the city centre. There's nothing like the Crescent there and like I said, far, far fewer retail parks. The average shopper in Galway has no choice but to pay for parking, the nearest free parking is in Salthill or on the Tuam road.

It's right to say parking is an issue but it's only part of it. Even if we sorted the city centre we'd still have to accept we'll always lose people to the retail parks, which, imo, the county council allowed to be built with full knowledge they'd damage the city. The county council has to carry their portion of blame, not that there's much sense in apportioning it now.

pigtown

Heres my experience of what seem to be the two main issues.

Parking:
I drive from the east of the county, entering the city by Upper William Street. I always park in the city centre car park on Anne Street and the only time I have ever struggled to find a spot is around Christmas and even then I still got a space. Its a max 5 minute walk to the market/river/Peoples Park.

Crescent S.C.:
People say that this is the place to go for shopping but I actually think that the city has more choice for mens clothes.
City: Crescent:
Penneys Penneys
Jack & Jones Jack & Jones
Tony Connollys Tony Connollys
River Island River Island
Seduzca Seduzca
Brown Thomas Shaws
Debenhams Next
Havana Tommy Hilfiger
Diesel Zara
Tom Tailor The Josef Store
Noels N2
Stitch
7Camicie
French Connection
Noel Andrews
Leonards
The Edinburgh Woolen Mill

This isn't to say that the city is a mecca for shopping. It only has 1 decent bookshop, cd shop. A few more decent shops such as Topshop/topman, Abercrombie, Hugo Boss would be guaranteed crowd pullers during the the day.

An easy way of encouraging retailers into the city would be changing the bylaws governing retail parks. Disallowing fashion stores in these parks would mean that when their current lease is up; TKMaxx, Elverys, Heatons/Sportsworld, Lifestyle Sports, JJB Sports & Burtons/Evans/Wallace/Dorothy Perkins would be searching for new units in the vicinity. By not granting planning permssion for any extensions to shopping centres, most if not all of these retailers could be enticed into the city.

Limericks nightlife leaves alot to be desired. While it has no shortage of good bars and restaurants it only has two nightclubs (Angel Lane, Icon).

Council support of the Market Quarter could make this area a very vibrant quarter of the city. Other measures which could be undertaken include late opening of the Hunt Museum & the new Gallery of Art. Persuade Dolans to relocate to the city centre and open a cinema in the centre.

Obviously funding is an issue but I think that the above measures could really go a long way to turing the citys fortunes around.

Poxyshamrock

Crescent also lacks a good shoe shop!

Amazotheamazing

pigtown wrote: »

Her

This isn't to say that the city is a mecca for shopping. It only has 1 decent bookshop, cd shop. A few more decent shops such as Topshop/topman, Abercrombie, Hugo Boss would be guaranteed crowd pullers during the the day.

An easy way of encouraging retailers into the city would be changing the bylaws governing retail parks. Disallowing fashion stores in these parks would mean that when their current lease is up; TKMaxx, Elverys, Heatons/Sportsworld, Lifestyle Sports, JJB Sports & Burtons/Evans/Wallace/Dorothy Perkins would be searching for new units in the vicinity. By not granting planning permssion for any extensions to shopping centres, most if not all of these retailers could be enticed into the city.

Limericks nightlife leaves alot to be desired. While it has no shortage of good bars and restaurants it only has two nightclubs (Angel Lane, Icon).

Council support of the Market Quarter could make this area a very vibrant quarter of the city. Other measures which could be undertaken include late opening of the Hunt Museum & the new Gallery of Art. Persuade Dolans to relocate to the city centre and open a cinema in the centre.

Obviously funding is an issue but I think that the above measures could really go a long way to turing the citys fortunes around.

The Council is fairly broke, but I agree there's a lot they could do.

That being said, afaik they don't own either the car park beside Angel Lane and the derelict building beside the new Mollies. Those two sites are now amongst the most important in Limerick. The new market has really succeeded, the Market Quarter concept between the pubs seems to be gathering pace but all the good work could be derailed by poor developments at either of those two sites. Whatever ends up going into either has to be things that really add to the area, not the usual stuff that gets flung up in Limerick.

Anyhow, I think things are slowly improving in the city centre.

Over the next few years we should see
new film space being developed at the Belltable,
An arthouse cinema where the Theatre Royal was (plans have been drawn up, afaik),
A new Market's field (great to see sport back in the city centre),
Improved street scapes for William St (already in progress) and O'Connell st. The Northern distributor road will take some traffic out of town too.
Hopefully the Courts will be moved up to Mulgrave st which will have the impact of removing the rough element from outside City Hall and also opening the current Courts to different, hopefully civic, uses.
There's plans to modernise the tourist facilities at King John's Castle.

All small steps to some extent but each one will hopefully improve Limerick city a small bit. If things like Riverfest/Limerick City Marathon continue to improve and the Market Quarter continues to improve we'll be in a much better state in a 5 years time. We have to take a long term view I guess.

mossym

people are missing one important point. footfall at the weekend is not enough to keep the shops open. they need ongoing business. one of the key issues with Limerick city center is that there is no business(and i don't mean retail) near the city center. you need a couple of businesses with several hundred people employed who will get lunch in the city, go shoppiong after work, go for coffee etc on a regular basis. there is not one company i can think with more than a handful of employees in the city center. other cities have them, Limerick doesn't. instead those of us working for the large companies are out in the industrial estates around the edges of the cities where amenities are awful.

padma

TBH, because I'm an honest man :P What we need is more money in our pockets, then you would see the city centre and it's shops prospering. At the moment the only people around the town during the day are those who are unemployed in doing the weekly shopping after getting their dole. More jobs would bring more cash to town, simples. Ask any business the problem is a lot of people simply don't have the money to go out anymore or to shop for luxury items. Luxury items nowadays include clothing and footwear. Buying cd's is a thing of the past now as well. The time for popping in to a nice restaurant for lunch is over as that would eat in to people's weekly budget too much. So essentially what I'm saying is, it is an economical issue which is blindly ignored by the powers to be.

kilburn

mossym wrote: »

people are missing one important point. footfall at the weekend is not enough to keep the shops open. they need ongoing business. one of the key issues with Limerick city center is that there is no business(and i don't mean retail) near the city center. you need a couple of businesses with several hundred people employed who will get lunch in the city, go shoppiong after work, go for coffee etc on a regular basis. there is not one company i can think with more than a handful of employees in the city center. other cities have them, Limerick doesn't. instead those of us working for the large companies are out in the industrial estates around the edges of the cities where amenities are awful.

900 revenue
150 irish aid
some more well over

pigtown

That being said, afaik they don't own either the car park beside Angel Lane and the derelict building beside the new Mollies.

I think it's vital the council CPO the car park. Not for new development but for a park. The city centre has no nice park (Arthurs Quay is not a nice park. It has more concrete than grass and is surrounded by dead streets. Pery Square is too out of the way.)

This site and the car park of the ESB/Eircom? building on Roches Street are the only two major sites I can think of in the city that aren't built on. I think the Market Quarter could become a leading area of the city for tourism if the streets were partly pedestrianised and cobbled. Cafes and smaller businesses could flourish and a nice park in the centre would top it all off.

BTW how do I attribute a quote to the original poster? Can't figure it out.

phog

pigtown wrote: »

I think it's vital the council CPO the car park. Not for new development but for a park. The city centre has no nice park (Arthurs Quay is not a nice park. It has more concrete than grass and is surrounded by dead streets. Pery Square is too out of the way.)

This site and the car park of the ESB/Eircom? building on Roches Street are the only two major sites I can think of in the city that aren't built on. I think the Market Quarter could become a leading area of the city for tourism if the streets were partly pedestrianised and cobbled. Cafes and smaller businesses could flourish and a nice park in the centre would top it all off.

BTW how do I attribute a quote to the original poster? Can't figure it out.[/QUOTE]

You may need to have a minimum of posts before you can quote.

Under all posts there are a few icons for quote, multi qoute (if you want to quote more than one post in the same reply, click on the icon of the relevant posts then press reply), the thumbs up for thanking a post and one the left side theres the report post icon.

eclectichoney

As a recent blow-in I'll give my impression! I'm not very well-informed so this is just my opinion, compared with how I see things in Dublin.

Every weekend I'm round Limerick I'll go into the city centre because that's where the best coffee places are (Arabica ftw!) and it's a million time better atmosphere-wise shopping in a city centre than a dull shopping centre in suburbia imo. Even if ye do get soaked sometimes. But in the city centre I do get fed up with the lack of shops - aside from BTs, Debenhams & Imasa (the latter brings me into the city centre alone tbh!) and O'Mahoney's you run out of places. They definitely need shops like Topshop, maybe a Next, a Zara, a H&M. A big topshop would be a big advantage I reckon. But it's a bit of a chicken & egg situation - there are no shops in town because there is no footfall because there are no shops in town lol.

I do miss an arthouse cinema big-time, they don't even show vaguely leftfield/indie stuff like at the moment. Delighted to hear one is on the way. Late opening cafes in Dublin are great too - some are open till 9pm now, a few till 10pm. Great vibe and keeps people in the city after work, to meet friends for coffee. People not working in the city centre would have a big impact alright - I was not aware of this myself: is it really the case that not that many people work in the city centre?? If so, this explains a lot imo. I know in Dublin the shops & cafes are jammers between about 12pm-2pm or so with office people/retail workers on lunch shopping. Most, or practically all, cafes now do a coffee & panini/sambo for €5 deal now, which is actually decent value for lunch imo, so that's why they are still doing business. Their margins are well down, but the volume has held up so they are just about keeping going.

For what it's worth people complain about parking in Dublin to tbh but there seems way less shopping centres in Dublin, certainly ones that are close to the city centre anyway.

BESman

As a Galway man living in Limerick for the last couple of years I think I can add observations comparing two very different cities:

As mentioned here a few times, Limerick lacks a focal point or main thoroughfare. In Galway you have Shop Street, Quay Street and Eyre Square which attract a lot of tourists and locals alike. You don't get that in Limerick. O'Connell Street is the main "road" but it ain't like the ones mentioned above. Thomas Street and Cruises Street are probably the closest you'll find but the streets are so wide with lots of alleys off them that they never appear to be bustling. I would also question the quality of stores and pubs on those streets.

I think, as also mentioned, Limerick is a lot bigger than it appears. To get from someplace like Jury's down to the end of William Street can be quite a walk. In places like Galway and Cork, the city centres seem a lot more compact and easier to get from one place to the next.

I think the nightlife in Limerick is lacking. There is nowhere near the number of busy, lively and attractive pubs and clubs that you find in Galway. A lot of the establishments are dives. I think Flannerys, Smyths, Icon, Aubars, Mickey Martins and one or two others are the best of a bad lot. I'm shocked that a place like Nancy's is considered among the best the City has to offer. Also, there is absolutely no street atmosphere in Limerick. I've often been out on busy Saturday nights and once you leave the pub you'd never know it was Saturday night. In Galway you'd nearly find more people on the streets than in the pubs.

As someone mentioned, the city centre population is very low. Most of the population is situated in the county and suburbs. There is little reason for people to enter the city centre. The lack of a univerity campus in the city centre is huge in my opinion. Despite what some people might think, Galway would be pretty dead without the two college campuses in town, particularly NUIG which is right in the middle of the city. The students create a lively atmosphere that is missing during the summer months. Galway makes up for this with the number of festivals held during the summer months, but believe me, without them, the place would be dead. Think about it, if UL was in the city centre, it would immediately add 10,000 - 15,000 students and staff to the middle of town. The place would be so much different.

Having said all that, I think Limerick is a fine city that suffers from a poor image and a slightly defeatist attitude. So many people in the town and county prefer to head off to Cork, Galway and Dublin for the weekend rather than head out in their own town. The streets look nice and clean and the river front area is impressive (from certain angles). I think one area Limerick absolutely excels in is restaurants. The city has such a variety of quality restaurants at great value. Galway is very poor in this regard. Nothing great and its usually a rip off. Also, I was reading in the Chronicle this week that Limerick stole the rights from Galway to be the fourth Arthur's Day city holding music events and other entertainment. Calvin Harris will be playing in the Milk Market. This is a massive coup for Limerick as this is normally an area that Galway has dominance over and I think it bodes well for the future. The Milk Market could save the city in a big way and looks like its being marketed very well for events like this.

seachto7

I was in Limk city centre last Friday at about 6 and wanted to go for a coffee, but not to a pub, and there was nowhere. Every place was closed.....
Plus, is there any pub where you can go for a quiet pint, like a late bar? There doesn't seem to be anywhere, it's a case of cramming yourself into Nancys and wait 30 mins to get to the bar.........

constantg

seachto7 wrote: »

I was in Limk city centre last Friday at about 6 and wanted to go for a coffee, but not to a pub, and there was nowhere. Every place was closed.....
Plus, is there any pub where you can go for a quiet pint, like a late bar? There doesn't seem to be anywhere, it's a case of cramming yourself into Nancys and wait 30 mins to get to the bar.........

Costellos is probably your best bet for the late pint.

constantg

These are all things that cause far more trouble than guys walking around town in tracksuits, imo.

Looking at London, Manchester, etc etc I'd say this is a HUGE issue. Also the level of casual drunkeness and drug abuse is staggering. Now its not as bad as the boardwalk in Dublin, but come on! Guys (and girls) staggering around the city's thoroughfares, p*****d out of their heads, abusing each other and asking passersby for the 'loan' of a euro? I live in the city, I generally shop and socialise in the city. I find the footpaths deplorable. The lack of pedestrian crossings is laughable.

Also the fact of population shift hasn't been properly addressed.

Theoretically the centre of Limerick City is somewhere about the intersection of O'Connell St & Bedford Row. Now looking at that area, would you say it's very dignified? I saw a guy on a fricking horse @ 7pm one evening there a wk ago! Galway has Eyre Sq and the Spanish Arch Parks. Cork has the Peace Park. Dublin has Trinity's quietness and the Temple Bar plaza and Stephen's Green.

My point is that at the time of construction the People's Park was centred around Limerick. Over time the population moved and the Park became marginalised. Ideally the perfect place for a Park would Arthurs Quay/Sarsfield House renovated OR swapped for the Brown Thomas/Opera centre site in the city, thus giving the 'newly' shifted city a focal point.

Amazotheamazing

constantg wrote: »

Looking at London, Manchester, etc etc I'd say this is a HUGE issue. Also the level of casual drunkeness and drug abuse is staggering. Now its not as bad as the boardwalk in Dublin, but come on! Guys (and girls) staggering around the city's thoroughfares, p*****d out of their heads, abusing each other and asking passersby for the 'loan' of a euro? I live in the city, I generally shop and socialise in the city. I find the footpaths deplorable. The lack of pedestrian crossings is laughable.

Also the fact of population shift hasn't been properly addressed.

Theoretically the centre of Limerick City is somewhere about the intersection of O'Connell St & Bedford Row. Now looking at that area, would you say it's very dignified? I saw a guy on a fricking horse @ 7pm one evening there a wk ago! Galway has Eyre Sq and the Spanish Arch Parks. Cork has the Peace Park. Dublin has Trinity's quietness and the Temple Bar plaza and Stephen's Green.

My point is that at the time of construction the People's Park was centred around Limerick. Over time the population moved and the Park became marginalised. Ideally the perfect place for a Park would Arthurs Quay/Sarsfield House renovated OR swapped for the Brown Thomas/Opera centre site in the city, thus giving the 'newly' shifted city a focal point.

It's an issue alright, but it's of less importance, imo, to the ones I listed.

Limerick city never really focussed on the People's Park, maybe it should have but the growth of Limerick city is from Nicholas st, eventually Broad street/John street and then O'Connell street. The park concept, afaik, was never finished. I remember reading before there was supposed to be a park built where the Augustian church is but the Catholic Church basically seized the land and no one had the guts to move them. If you look at that block relative to the rest of O'Connell street you can see it's nowhere near as uniform as the other blocks which lends credence to the story. It would also have been a central block, so idea for a park.

I've seen a lot of plans that trade off the park at Arthur's Quay for one at Roches or beside the market and they aren't plans I fully agree with. I think we do need a more central square or plaza but I don't think we should lose Arthur's Quay either. O'Connell street is very wide and for the most part, underutilsed, the footpaths and general street scape are deary and cluttered. It think Patrick's street in Cork shows what can be done to improve a street within the contraints of the existing buildings.

If I could promote a 'masterplan' for the general city centre it'd be something like

1) improve O'Connell street, utilising the full space, particularly the space outside and around Penny's. Have a secondary plaza between Bedford Row and Thomas street, with minimal traffic passing through it (as per Patricks st in Cork)
2) Remodel Arthur's Quay park so it's more grass and less brick. Put a playground in it. The park should be expanded by including wide footpath/road area between the park and the Arthur's Quay shopping centre, reduce the road to two lanes.
3) Improve the street-scape around the Market.
4) Move the City Art Gallery down to the Market, cpo the derelict building beside Mollies to house it. Move the city library to the Market quarter too. Preferably cpo the yard beside Angel lane for a new library building with remainder of year being civic space (park, outdoor cinema venue etc).

Points 1 to 3 would be easily achieved.

I don't think the city really benefits from having the Art Gallery away from everything, tourism wise. By being near the market it'd be near the Art College and near the print makers. The library is neither here nor there but afaik they are looking to move it so it should be moved to a place where the city benefits from it.

source

Your first suggestion is already underway Amazo, They started off by upgrading Bedford Row and Thomas Street, Now they're doing William Street. When that is finished they're moving onto Patrick Street, then completely pedestrianising O'Connell Street from William Street to Roches Street, which will give a large plaza in the centre of town.

Arthurs Quay Park is fine the way it is, It was designed to be used as an outdoor performance space/public park, but has remained completely under utilised. If they left the park the way it is and erected a permanent stage with regular open air performances then there's no need to change it. It would be an amazing amenity.

I quite like the street scape around the market, It's an older area of town and it feels like it, but isn't shabby overall. There are some things I would change, for example putting in nice street lighting and street furniture.

Your last point I don't agree with at all, in order for a modern library to be put in that space, It would take up pretty much the entire site. It would be a much better use of the space to put in a well serviced public space, a park or plaza with restaurants and cafe's around the sides would do far more for the area than a library.

The shell beside Molly's could hold a city Art Gallery and Library, and would leave the space that is currently a car park for the idea I've outlined above.

I would also say that old style street lighting (lamp posts) should be erected around Perry Square, and the entire Georgian area of town. Something like in the picture below should be all over the area in my opinion. It would enhance the charm of the area greatly.

mossym

kilburn wrote: »

900 revenue
150 irish aid
some more well over

150 isn't big. you'd expect that in a hotel . and in the suburbs you have over a thousand in analog, thousand in dell, what's in stryder, J&J, and the rest?

accept that in some cases these companies have to be away from city center, due to manufacturing, but there are no software companies in limerick city center, no financial companies of note, no support centers or anything of the like that exist in a lot of other city centers, or close enough for the workers to walk to city center.

people can say more shops are needed, but without people to use them there is no point.

vkid

BESman wrote: »

As a Galway man living in Limerick for the last couple of years I think I can add observations comparing two very different cities:

As mentioned here a few times, Limerick lacks a focal point or main thoroughfare. In Galway you have Shop Street, Quay Street and Eyre Square which attract a lot of tourists and locals alike. You don't get that in Limerick. O'Connell Street is the main "road" but it ain't like the ones mentioned above. Thomas Street and Cruises Street are probably the closest you'll find but the streets are so wide with lots of alleys off them that they never appear to be bustling. I would also question the quality of stores and pubs on those streets.

I think, as also mentioned, Limerick is a lot bigger than it appears. To get from someplace like Jury's down to the end of William Street can be quite a walk. In places like Galway and Cork, the city centres seem a lot more compact and easier to get from one place to the next.

I think the nightlife in Limerick is lacking. There is nowhere near the number of busy, lively and attractive pubs and clubs that you find in Galway. A lot of the establishments are dives. I think Flannerys, Smyths, Icon, Aubars, Mickey Martins and one or two others are the best of a bad lot. I'm shocked that a place like Nancy's is considered among the best the City has to offer. Also, there is absolutely no street atmosphere in Limerick. I've often been out on busy Saturday nights and once you leave the pub you'd never know it was Saturday night. In Galway you'd nearly find more people on the streets than in the pubs.

As someone mentioned, the city centre population is very low. Most of the population is situated in the county and suburbs. There is little reason for people to enter the city centre. The lack of a univerity campus in the city centre is huge in my opinion. Despite what some people might think, Galway would be pretty dead without the two college campuses in town, particularly NUIG which is right in the middle of the city. The students create a lively atmosphere that is missing during the summer months. Galway makes up for this with the number of festivals held during the summer months, but believe me, without them, the place would be dead. Think about it, if UL was in the city centre, it would immediately add 10,000 - 15,000 students and staff to the middle of town. The place would be so much different.

Having said all that, I think Limerick is a fine city that suffers from a poor image and a slightly defeatist attitude. So many people in the town and county prefer to head off to Cork, Galway and Dublin for the weekend rather than head out in their own town. The streets look nice and clean and the river front area is impressive (from certain angles). I think one area Limerick absolutely excels in is restaurants. The city has such a variety of quality restaurants at great value. Galway is very poor in this regard. Nothing great and its usually a rip off. Also, I was reading in the Chronicle this week that Limerick stole the rights from Galway to be the fourth Arthur's Day city holding music events and other entertainment. Calvin Harris will be playing in the Milk Market. This is a massive coup for Limerick as this is normally an area that Galway has dominance over and I think it bodes well for the future. The Milk Market could save the city in a big way and looks like its being marketed very well for events like this.

Was talking to someone at the weekend, who works in the drinks trade and she reckoned the Milk Market as a space for concerts was the big reason that Arthurs Day is coming to Limerick.

Agree with most of your points. The selection of places to eat in Limerick versus Galway is fairly impressive, but in my mind is something fairly new. Some fantastic places to eat in Limerick right now.

boomerang

Haven't been myself yet, but isn't there a new late-night coffee house on Denmark Street now, called epicafe? We've long been missing an alternative to the pubs, like Javas of old.

seachto7

I should have mentioned some where other than Costelloes for a late quiet drink... There doesn't seem to be that many. PLenty of good pubs for a pint in regualr hours, but rather than packing into nancys, it would be nice to chill out somewhere having a late pint and just a chat, as opposed to spilling beer, wading through the mob to get a drink elsewhere........
I suppose upstairs in supermacs would be ok.???????

Grizzly 45

[

QUOTE=source;73756729]Your first suggestion is already underway Amazo, They started off by upgrading Bedford Row and Thomas Street, Now they're doing William Street. When that is finished they're moving onto Patrick Street, then completely pedestrianising O'Connell Street from William Street to Roches Street, which will give a large plaza in the centre of town.

This is the worst disaster EVER done to the city centre.If the council couldnt learn what that has done to busisness on the pedisterinised Thomas St,Catherine St area.It is impossible now to do deliveries properly without blocking up the entire area,or for somone to drop off goods for repair or collection without blocking up the entire area from traffic.Ask most retailers there and they will tell you ,that the first opportunity they would take they would be out of the city centre location within minutes to a unit in the outskirts because of the parking problems.A combo of high rates for buildings that should be condemed years ago,,lousy traffic planning and pedestirination will kill off the city centre trade

Arthurs Quay Park is fine the way it is, It was designed to be used as an outdoor performance space/public park, but has remained completely under utilised. If they left the park the way it is and erected a permanent stage with regular open air performances then there's no need to change it. It would be an amazing amenity.

It is in its FK!!A public park full of junkies,cider heads,pushers and other undesireables.It would be FAR better to return to what it orginally was a parking lot at a very chep price for the city centre.Forget these airy fairy ideas of cultural amineities in the city center .Want to do that,use the Peoples park.


Your last point I don't agree with at all, in order for a modern library to be put in that space, It would take up pretty much the entire site. It would be a much better use of the space to put in a well serviced public space, a park or plaza with restaurants and cafe's around the sides would do far more for the area than a library.

The shell beside Molly's could hold a city Art Gallery and Library, and would leave the space that is currently a car park for the idea I've outlined above.

Use the old Fransciscan/Jesuit church for that .Historic buildings with fantastic aucoustics for concerts.Not to mind in the city centre as well.

Right! INMHO the city centre is lacking a meeting point of some sort.By that I mean somthing traditional.It used to be actually Cruises hotel,where everyone met for either a drink,or a coffee before they demolished and put that total abortion of Cruises St there instead.
The hotel could have been gutted and still have put a "indoor mall " behind the orginal facade.But due to the cultural vandals that inhabit our town planning dept we have lost this forever.:mad:
For awhile it then became the Savoy,for a meeting place until that was vandalised and demolished for another hideous lesiure centre and that was demolished for the glass monstrosity that is there now.


So where do you actually meet in Limerick city centre?Dublin its the Spike or OConnell monument,Galway,its the square,Cork...Fk knows!:D Limerick ditto. IOW we have no heart in the city.Making the whole area a car free zone isnt going to sort it either.
Not only that these huge boluvards are totally out of perspective to the buildings.A German friend of mine who was born and bred in the former East Germany,commented that Limerick now looks like Berlin under Communist rule in the 1980s.Grandiose buildings ,that are totally impersonal with massive plazas that feel empty ,sterile and cold,with bombed out ruins behind them.All he said we need are a few massive monuments to our leaders and we would be a perfect copy of Communist workers paradises of the former Soviet empires.
Also BTW Gaurds..Woud you stop harrassing the few pubs left in O Connell st,due to "noise levels" or that there are people still on the premises at exactly closing time??? Those pubs are paying rates,and are about the only attraction left in this dump at night.

The Shannon.
The most under utilized and most difficult to utilize part of Limerick.
Forget marinas here or moving the joke of one upstream.Problem is the current.Not from the power plant either.It is because it is TIDAL.
You can NOT run a lake pleasure cruiser ,that has at best a 30hp diesel engine,weighs about 5tons against a 12 knot[appx 15mph] current of the Abbey river.Bringing a cruiser down and up from Limerick to Killaloe is a major feat best left to somone who is well experianced in boat handling,not some first timer.Especially the stretch Limerick marina /Ardnacrusha lock.The tide is the second problem,as you have to judge it precisely to get your boats under Athlunkard,Baals,and Patrick st bridges,without removing your superstructure on these bridges.
When you get to Limerick marina,there is FA facilities to either refuel your cruiser[proably the most important],take on water,or empty the sewage tanks. So who would want to bring a boat down here,burn out an engine trying to get back up,or even be able to refuel it either??

Downstream it is no better.We are NOT going to get cruise liners coming up the Shannon to Limerick,as suggested by some dopy councilor.[Unless they want to move in here permantly,when they get stuck on the mudbanks.:rolleyes:] You can certainly get a 80k tons plus ship into Foynes,but then the tonnage drops dramatically down to 10k +/-tonnes for Limerick,due to the shallowness of the Shannon at Limerick.Average cruise ships are in the 90k ton class.
Not to mind what are they going to see here?A glass box in a fine castle?
And what else??????People who pay for these cruises want either weather or dramatic scenery.We dont have either very much in Limerick
We have a good concept in the flying boats/seaplanes history of Foynes/Limerick,and the possibility of using the Shannon for a runway, into and out of Limerick but of course that has been knocked by the NIMBYism of the rowing clubs,who consider theSshannon to be their total ownership.Is it a major problem to work out when a plane might land,the tides and when the rowing clubs might want to train??Called sharing.

Festivities,
Kilkenny has the comedy festival,Galway has the oyster festival,and whatever else,Waterford has the Opera,Limerick has.....Oh !a barbecue at the river,a pig and porter[bet THAT attracts our Muslim neighbours!:rolleyes:] rugger hugger festival,and a "mardai Gras":rolleyes:[AKA an excuse for a pissup and street fight in "Summer".

Fact is Limerick needs somthing distinctive of its own that is well policed for once,has some sort of cultural value.Quit relying on the "rugby" syndrome.Not everyone thankfully, is a rugger head in this town or the World isnt either.
Surely we can come up with somthing more usable for our city than rugby,aped after festivals,and lousy street planning??

We have some greal liteary people past,why are we not cashing on on the likes of Frank Mc Court,Kate O Brien,and such liteary week?
Richard Harris[Could do a Richard Harris film week?]
Or even some of the more obscure films made in Limerick?Anyone ever heard of the Serpents Kiss??Or Walt Disneys Guns over the Heather?
OH BTW this is the time in Aug 1691 that Patrick Sarsfield blew up the Williaminite siege train headed for Limerick.Has anyone ever considerd doing a reenactment or film of this event??
A good script and the story being sold properly would provide plenty of employment for the Summer months.
This is thinking ouside the box,but that is somthing sadly lacking in Limerick.:(:(

grenache

If i didn't work in the city centre, i'd never venture near it. It's so quiet at night. But then again there's nothing to attract people into it. It will never realise it's tourist potential as for years it has turned it back on the river, and continues to do so, and doesn't have the small cosy tourist friendly streets that Cork and Galway have. And dont get me started on the scobes.

SARZY

The city is run by people who dont live there.

seachto7

grizzly 45: excellent post!

Poxyshamrock

seachto7 wrote: »

grizzly 45: excellent post!

+1

BESman

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Festivities,
Kilkenny has the comedy festival,Galway has the oyster festival,and whatever else,Waterford has the Opera,Limerick has.....Oh !a barbecue at the river,a pig and porter[bet THAT attracts our Muslim neighbours!:rolleyes:] rugger hugger festival,and a "mardai Gras":rolleyes:[AKA an excuse for a pissup and street fight in "Summer".

Fact is Limerick needs somthing distinctive of its own that is well policed for once,has some sort of cultural value.Quit relying on the "rugby" syndrome.Not everyone thankfully, is a rugger head in this town or the World isnt either.
Surely we can come up with somthing more usable for our city than rugby,aped after festivals,and lousy street planning??

We have some greal liteary people past,why are we not cashing on on the likes of Frank Mc Court,Kate O Brien,and such liteary week?
Richard Harris[Could do a Richard Harris film week?]
Or even some of the more obscure films made in Limerick?Anyone ever heard of the Serpents Kiss??Or Walt Disneys Guns over the Heather?
OH BTW this is the time in Aug 1691 that Patrick Sarsfield blew up the Williaminite siege train headed for Limerick.Has anyone ever considerd doing a reenactment or film of this event??
A good script and the story being sold properly would provide plenty of employment for the Summer months.
This is thinking ouside the box,but that is somthing sadly lacking in Limerick.:(:(

Totally agree and I made similar comments in a thread a few months back when the Pig n Porter was on. All this hype about a really obscure little festival in the suburbs based around tag rugby. All I heard from neighbours and friends was how this is the biggest summer event in Limerick. I think the city has big problems when these kinds of tiny, unoriginal, unimaginative, dull, meaningless festivals are the best it has to offer. Some of the ideas mentioned above are at least different and play on some of Limerick's unique character besides the bloody rugby.