Limerick City of Culture 2014

varberg

Limerick needs to get a really good town or city planner or a similiar professional to come over from the uk or europe (someone with fresh eyes)and implement and recommend a plan the city could move forward with. It has a few things going for it, 3rd level colleges, sporting tourism, an average uk city population but it doesnt connect to make the city exciting like galway or dublin can be for tourists. Skilled jobs bringing youth and vibrancy to the area would obviously help too.

Everyone interested needs to meet and see what can be done to improve the place. It needs to come from the ordinary people of the city, business people rather than committees and the like. Read somewhere that lot of irish towns and cities had growing populations over the last 10 or 15 years but that limerick had more or less a stagnant population.Read too somewhere else that it was one or two places in ireland where the population actually went down. Some mention of it here in the demographics section that it was down 5per cent in the 2006 survey.

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

As I said the first port of call for limerick should be a quality town or city planner from the uk or denmark or sweden or holland to look at urban regeneration and an overall plan otherwise limerick might be used as an example of urban decay.

Its in everyones best interests to get limerick going and generate positivity in the mid west region. The government ministers need to bring jobs to the area and canvass for investment from silicon valley and similiar and the people need to get positive and come up with ideas and listen to carefully chosen experts. The first port of call should surely be the geography or town planning dept in ul or ucg. The city centre badly needs regeneration and gain an established tourist trail for example develop a tourist area, set up a package deals for the castle and hunt museum and what ever else limerick has to offer.

pigtown

They actually have drawn up a plan for the city which is due for publication any day now. http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/business/local-business/seven-sites-identified-for-revamp-in-limerick-city-1-4936660

Cityslicker1

varberg wrote: »

Limerick needs to get a really good town or city planner or a similiar professional to come over from the uk or europe (someone with fresh eyes)and implement and recommend a plan the city could move forward with. It has a few things going for it, 3rd level colleges, sporting tourism, an average uk city population but it doesnt connect to make the city exciting like galway or dublin can be for tourists. Skilled jobs bringing youth and vibrancy to the area would obviously help too.

Everyone interested needs to meet and see what can be done to improve the place. It needs to come from the ordinary people of the city, business people rather than committees and the like. Read somewhere that lot of irish towns and cities had growing populations over the last 10 or 15 years but that limerick had more or less a stagnant population.Read too somewhere else that it was one or two places in ireland where the population actually went down. Some mention of it here in the demographics section that it was down 5per cent in the 2006 survey.

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

As I said the first port of call for limerick should be a quality town or city planner from the uk or denmark or sweden or holland to look at urban regeneration and an overall plan otherwise limerick might be used as an example of urban decay.

Its in everyones best interests to get limerick going and generate positivity in the mid west region. The government ministers need to bring jobs to the area and canvass for investment from silicon valley and similiar and the people need to get positive and come up with ideas and listen to carefully chosen experts. The first port of call should surely be the geography or town planning dept in ul or ucg. The city centre badly needs regeneration and gain an established tourist trail for example develop a tourist area, set up a package deals for the castle and hunt museum and what ever else limerick has to offer.

To be honest from what I've noticed Limericks reputation is the number one reason that goes against the city. When I've ever met tourists in other parts of the country like Galway for example I've often asked them have they taken a trip to Limerick city and they usually reply with 'We've been advised not to'. I was in Edinburgh before Christmas and I was chatting to a girl from Canada and I told her I went to University in Limerick and she replied with 'oh stab city'. When tourists come to Ireland Dublin, Galway and Cork are the only options suggested to them. Just take a look at the tourist books and brochures. Also take a day trip to any of the other three cities and you will notice an obvious presence of tourists and non nationals in general. Rarely will you see crowds of tourists walking up O'Connell street at any time of the year. It's unfortunate really as I believe genuine tourists would have great interest in attractions such as King Johns castle, The Hunt museum, St.Marys Cathederal and stroll around arears like Pery sq and the area around Daniel O'Connell monument with the fantastic Georgian architecture to experience some real Irish history. The river front is great too but not utilised at all. There's some re-modelling work going on down there at the moment which will probably have a great looking final result but I would have preferred if they started with O'Connell street as it is in bad need of a revamp. But I suppose any improvements are always a positive.

pigtown

The logo for the year has been released. http://www.limerickcommunicationsoffice.ie/2013/05/05/limerick-city-of-culture-2014-logo-unveiled It's not bad looking. The explanation for it is a bit airy-fairy but sure that's to be expected.

bigpink

Get the Riverfest to the river,im just afraid the Market Quarter i.e the pubs are going to take over this event

Seanergy

I heard a rumor that Limerick are trying to get Sylvester for the Paddy's day Parade, the brass band doing rocky and also to exhibit his paintings in the Limerick City Gallery along with a weekend of his movies

ZombieBride

And yet the Castle and Beltable are still closed, the museum is in one room, Catherine Hayes house has permanent scaffolding, Kate O'Brien's house is in a state of shame (I know this was recently purchased but how long before it is improved), the Tourist office is a glorified gift shop, there is no cinema in the city centre.

At least we have, Dolans, Limetree, UCH, and the Millennium Theatre.

I want to feel like there is hope for the city, but at every meeting there are the same faces, each one trying their utmost but when you have little/no funding, a lot of red tape and a very apathetic general populace it is very frustrating.

source

I don't know, it seems there's a lot of cultural stuff going on in the city and county despite what some on here think.

http://limerick.ie/living/whatson/

pigtown

Seanergy wrote: »

I heard a rumor that Limerick are trying to get Sylvester for the Paddy's day Parade, the brass band doing rocky and also to exhibit his paintings in the Limerick City Gallery along with a weekend of his movies

Who's Sylvester?

Seanergy

pigtown wrote: »

Who's Sylvester?

Stallone

varberg

ZombieBride wrote: »

And yet the Castle and Beltable are still closed, the museum is in one room, Catherine Hayes house has permanent scaffolding, Kate O'Brien's house is in a state of shame (I know this was recently purchased but how long before it is improved), the Tourist office is a glorified gift shop, there is no cinema in the city centre.

.....a lot of red tape and a very apathetic general populace it is very frustrating.

your right, i mean the gathering year is half over and the town or rather citys main tourist attraction is still closed. And why call it after an english king? there is a major sense of disconnect in that. Some new ideas and radical promoters of the city and region are needed. The place doesnt do much to promote itself.

Kess73

varberg wrote: »

your right, i mean the gathering year is half over and the town or rather citys main tourist attraction is still closed. And why call it after an english king? there is a major sense of disconnect in that. Some new ideas and radical promoters of the city and region are needed. The place doesnt do much to promote itself.

Because it was built on his orders and bore his name as a result. Would be a bit hard for Limerick to try and disassociate itself from that particular king as a number of Limerick's firsts happened under him such as Limerick's first mayor, first charter, as well as the walls of Limerick being a direct follow on to the castle.

Take away the English side of Limerick's history and you would be forced to ignore hundreds of years of Limerick's fascinating history.

If anything Limerick's rich viking and english heritage does not get played upon enough in terms of attracting tourists, but then I suppose the same could be said for many other interesting passages in the history of Limerick.

varberg

Kess73 wrote: »

Because it was built on his orders and bore his name as a result. Would be a bit hard for Limerick to try and disassociate itself from that particular king as a number of Limerick's firsts happened under him such as Limerick's first mayor, first charter, as well as the walls of Limerick being a direct follow on to the castle.

Take away the English side of Limerick's history and you would be forced to ignore hundreds of years of Limerick's fascinating history.

If anything Limerick's rich viking and english heritage does not get played upon enough in terms of attracting tourists, but then I suppose the same could be said for many other interesting passages in the history of Limerick.

ok fair enough, i tried to go in to visit last year but it was closed didnt research it much after that. Im not from the city but have visited there regularly and if i was asked by a tourist what is good to see and do in limerick id prob tell them bunratty as in my opinion the city doesnt market itself well enough or make an attempt to. Is there any city walking tours?

Mc Love

We could try and get Tony Fenton of Today FM to Limerick:

http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/discoverirelandvote2/tony.aspx

Kess73

varberg wrote: »

ok fair enough, i tried to go in to visit last year but it was closed didnt research it much after that. Im not from the city but have visited there regularly and if i was asked by a tourist what is good to see and do in limerick id prob tell them bunratty as in my opinion the city doesnt market itself well enough or make an attempt to. Is there any city walking tours?

Totally agree with this, and it is pretty much what I was getting at with my earlier comment regarding a lot of the history of Limerick not being capitalised upon or not being pushed enough.

As for walking tours, I know there used to be a couple of them, one was the Angela's Ashes walk and am pretty sure there was a walls of Limerick walk as well. Have no idea if they are still ongoing.


In my opinion the marketing of Limerick is lazy at best, and tends to focus on the same old things which can paint Limerick as having nothing else of interest.

King Johns Castle is criminally underused imho, and for the life of me I cannot understand why it has not been pushed as hard as Bunratty and why it has not had more by way of attractions onsite. For me it is a fantastic piece of genuine history right by the city centre. But it always seems to be shut for work or has parts of it shut.

Would love to see more by way of high quality "medieval" stalls within the walls (basically giftshop and eateries designed to look like ye olde worlde stalls rather than cheap versions.) Banquets like those in Bunratty, maybe the King John's castle version of that could be held in the courtyard so they would be open air banquets (maybe some sort of canopy could be put in place to combat rain). Having regular reinactments, alternating between Viking, Norman, and Irish themes, (maybe one or two every weekend in peak season and not done by wannabe local "celebs" looking for photo ops) along with all staff being in costume (those that work in the aforementioned medival stalls) would also add to the atmosphere and would make a visit to the castle an experience.


Of course another thing the city would benefit greatly from , imo of course, is if it had a proper full sized museum. The Hunt is good at what it does but is nothing like a full scale museum as it is more akin to a wing of a museum imho. A proper museum with permanent displays relating to political history, natural history, socio-economic history etc., that get complimented by seasonal attractions. Hell even ask Jack Mondays if they would be interested in running a Kiosk there to tie in their name with the man they are names after as that man's story is an interesting little snapshot of Limerick history.

I think things like the Limerick Soviet are better known outside of Limerick than by actual Limerick folk and that for me is a real shame. A mate of mine, Alun Parry, back home in Liverpool even recorded a song for his album that was about the Limerick Soviet, and he only found out about it through one of the Irish festival's in Liverpool (and the sad thing is that the main Liverpool Irish Festival usually celebrates more about Irish history than most of the Irish based ones) .Think I have had more chats about the history of Limerick whilst in Liverpool than I have here in Limerick.:(

Would also love to see something in Limerick like the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. It blew my mind when I was there some time back. The display of the replica of st Brendan's boat in Craggaunowen would be similar to what I would have in mind but with a replica of a viking ship appropriate to what would have been in Limerick in pre Norman times along with other replicas of things from that era.

kilburn

To be technically correct the castle is actually called Limerick Castle but it became known locally as King Johns Castle and the name kind of stuck down through the years and especially when all the social housing went in to the courtyard.

When they redeveloped it they just stuck with the local name.

By the way i have said for years and many objected but i think it would make the castle stand out, is to give it some attitude it was a garrison castle that was besieged countless times. There should be cannons sticking out of every archer position on the turrets. Make tourists look at it and go **** me that place means business

Kess73

kilburn wrote: »

To be technically correct the castle is actually called Limerick Castle but it became known locally as King Johns Castle and the name kind of stuck down through the years and especially when all the social housing went in to the courtyard.

When they redeveloped it they just stuck with the local name.

By the way i have said for years and many objected but i think it would make the castle stand out, is to give it some attitude it was a garrison castle that was besieged countless times. There should be cannons sticking out of every archer position on the turrets. Make tourists look at it and go **** me that place means business

Was Limerick Castle not the name given to it a few hundred years after it was first built and named as King John's castle, possibly around the time of the great siege of Limerick, and then it went back to it's original name of King John's castle?

Think there was also a push around the time of the Limerick Soviet incident in 1919 to call it Limerick castle.

Pretty sure that all of the castles in Ireland that were built and named after John got a local name at some point ( some under Norman rule, some as a sign of Irish rebellion) as well as the title of King John's castle. Athlone castle being another example of a King John's castle that had two names and ended up being known as the local name rather than the royal name.

Am of course open to correction, but anything I have ever read had it as being King John's castle first (circa 12 century) and Limerick castle second (circa 17th and early 20th centuries). Would be delighted if you could point me in the direction of any reading material of websites that say it was Limerick castle first despite it being sanctioned and built under the rule of John as I love reading up on local history.

Brennans Row

varberg wrote: »

Is there any city walking tours?

The Limerick Civic Trust organize walking tours. See link.

Kess73 wrote: »

Would be delighted if you could point me in the direction of any reading material of websites that say it was Limerick castle first despite it being sanctioned and built under the rule of John as I love reading up on local history.

The City Library has interesting stuff on-line regarding the castle. See link.

Kess73

Brennans Row wrote: »

The Limerick Civic Trust organize walking tours. See link.

The City Library has interesting stuff on-line regarding the castle. See link.

Thank you very much for that. Did not even occur to me to check the LCC site. Most of what I have read on King John's castle has been in the Limerick county Library or back in the University of Liverpool library.


Will have a good noodle through some of the links on the page you provided.

kilburn

Looking at some of those links on the council website it seems debatable as to what you can call it some people say as it was built by his order it should bare his name while others say castle named after city although i suppose most other citys with a castle just call it x castle, Dublin castle was built by Johns order also

Kess73

kilburn wrote: »

Looking at some of those links on the council website it seems debatable as to what you can call it some people say as it was built by his order it should bare his name while others say castle named after city although i suppose most other citys with a castle just call it x castle, Dublin castle was built by Johns order also

Afaik his castle in Limerick carried more status than his other Irish castles though, which is why Limerick got a mayor and charter under his rule before he even gave the same to London. Dublin and Athlone castles were built in his name but pretty sure that the building of those two castles were tasked to bishops or subjects of lower ranking than the castle in Limerick and that the castle we know had a higher ranked person tasked to build it for the king.

Mad to think that Limerick was a major player under both the vikings and King John and in the centuries that followed it really slipped down the pecking order.

varberg

Kess73 wrote: »

Totally agree with this, and it is pretty much what I was getting at with my earlier comment regarding a lot of the history of Limerick not being capitalised upon or not being pushed enough.

As for walking tours, I know there used to be a couple of them, one was the Angela's Ashes walk and am pretty sure there was a walls of Limerick walk as well. Have no idea if they are still ongoing.


In my opinion the marketing of Limerick is lazy at best, and tends to focus on the same old things which can paint Limerick as having nothing else of interest.

King Johns Castle is criminally underused imho, and for the life of me I cannot understand why it has not been pushed as hard as Bunratty and why it has not had more by way of attractions onsite. For me it is a fantastic piece of genuine history right by the city centre. But it always seems to be shut for work or has parts of it shut.

Would love to see more by way of high quality "medieval" stalls within the walls (basically giftshop and eateries designed to look like ye olde worlde stalls rather than cheap versions.) Banquets like those in Bunratty, maybe the King John's castle version of that could be held in the courtyard so they would be open air banquets (maybe some sort of canopy could be put in place to combat rain). Having regular reinactments, alternating between Viking, Norman, and Irish themes, (maybe one or two every weekend in peak season and not done by wannabe local "celebs" looking for photo ops) along with all staff being in costume (those that work in the aforementioned medival stalls) would also add to the atmosphere and would make a visit to the castle an experience.


Of course another thing the city would benefit greatly from , imo of course, is if it had a proper full sized museum. The Hunt is good at what it does but is nothing like a full scale museum as it is more akin to a wing of a museum imho. A proper museum with permanent displays relating to political history, natural history, socio-economic history etc., that get complimented by seasonal attractions. Hell even ask Jack Mondays if they would be interested in running a Kiosk there to tie in their name with the man they are names after as that man's story is an interesting little snapshot of Limerick history.


Would also love to see something in Limerick like the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo. It blew my mind when I was there some time back. The display of the replica of st Brendan's boat in Craggaunowen would be similar to what I would have in mind but with a replica of a viking ship appropriate to what would have been in Limerick in pre Norman times along with other replicas of things from that era.

Great points look what the titanic museum has done for belfast i know loads of people that have visited belfast for a weekend or for a few days in the last year or so.

Totally Tropical

What is with all the negativity?Anything that helps bring positive publicity to Limerick is to be welcomed.Limerick is a city with a wonderful history and a great sporting heritage that's something to be celebrated!While i would prefer Cork to Limerick (and that's just a subjective opinion) because i just think it's the nicest city in Ireland and the city centre is more vibrant than Limericks.Limerick has a city centre that was just left to decay by the city council.Just look at the closed up shops,the many 2 euro shops on William Street,the lack of a decent menswear shop in the city centre.In the suburbs you have the Crescent shopping centre.In the city centre you have the Arthurs Quay centre and that's the problem right there!Which one would you pick?Of course the Crescent wins every time.That's all down to indifference from the city council.If the effort was made Limerick would have a city centre as buzzy and vibrant as any other in the country.As it is i prefer Limerick to both Dublin and Galway.Despite the neglect of the city by the city council there's plenty of attractions to see in Limerick and i think it's an enjoyable city to walk around.I've always had a great time when i visit Limerick and i find the city centre to be safe enough tbh.It's a lot safer and nicer than the area around O'Connell Street in Dublin anyway.Limerick is the most friendliest city that i have ever visited i always find the staff in the shops to be very helpful and friendly.

There's plenty for the visitor in Limerick.The hotel rates are very competitive,there's a castle slap bang in the city centre,take a stroll along the shannon,go for a pint in Tom Collins pub (which is one of the many fine pubs in Limerick) and go for a bite to eat in the Texas Steakout,Hamptons or Bella Italia.All three of those restaurants are as good as any in Cork and Dublin.Why can't people see the many great things about Limerick as a city.If this city of culture event helps people to realise what a great city Limerick is then it's job done as far as im concerned.It might provide the city council with the impetus to transform the city centre and make it a place that Limerick people want to do business in again.

vkid

I know someone involved in tourism who got a run through the King Johns castle site recently and they were really impressed with the plan for the place and the work going on there. Will be interesting to see how it turns out. they really need to do some work on nicholas Street though to make it work imo.

source

vkid, you're not wrong, in any other city in any other country that street would be a tourist mecca.

They really need to get rid of the absolute crap that fills that street. When i used to get asked for directions to the castle, I used to hate sending people up Nicholas Street.

They really need to get the finger out, My biggest issue is that while there is absolutely loads going on around the city, we never hear about it until it's too late.

That link I posted earlier in the thread, is full of events going on around the city. But there is no on street advertising, there is very little advertising done in local media. We seem to take the view of, if we build it they will come.

A prime example, I live practically beside the Lime Tree theatre, I'm signed up to their newsletter email. Yet I still didn't know Tommy Tiernan was playing there until I bumped into him outside the Redemptorist Church the day of the gig.

Because there is very little advertising, it's not surprising that there are so many people on here being negative, and saying there is nothing going on.

Kess73

Totally Tropical wrote: »

What is with all the negativity?Anything that helps bring positive publicity to Limerick is to be welcomed.Limerick is a city with a wonderful history and a great sporting heritage that's something to be celebrated!While i would prefer Cork to Limerick (and that's just a subjective opinion) because i just think it's the nicest city in Ireland and the city centre is more vibrant than Limericks.Limerick has a city centre that was just left to decay by the city council.Just look at the closed up shops,the many 2 euro shops on William Street,the lack of a decent menswear shop in the city centre.In the suburbs you have the Crescent shopping centre.In the city centre you have the Arthurs Quay centre and that's the problem right there!Which one would you pick?Of course the Crescent wins every time.That's all down to indifference from the city council.If the effort was made Limerick would have a city centre as buzzy and vibrant as any other in the country.As it is i prefer Limerick to both Dublin and Galway.Despite the neglect of the city by the city council there's plenty of attractions to see in Limerick and i think it's an enjoyable city to walk around.I've always had a great time when i visit Limerick and i find the city centre to be safe enough tbh.It's a lot safer and nicer than the area around O'Connell Street in Dublin anyway.Limerick is the most friendliest city that i have ever visited i always find the staff in the shops to be very helpful and friendly.

There's plenty for the visitor in Limerick.The hotel rates are very competitive,there's a castle slap bang in the city centre,take a stroll along the shannon,go for a pint in Tom Collins pub (which is one of the many fine pubs in Limerick) and go for a bite to eat in the Texas Steakout,Hamptons or Bella Italia.All three of those restaurants are as good as any in Cork and Dublin.Why can't people see the many great things about Limerick as a city.If this city of culture event helps people to realise what a great city Limerick is then it's job done as far as im concerned.It might provide the city council with the impetus to transform the city centre and make it a place that Limerick people want to do business in again.

The castle slap in the middle is useless if it gets closed for work coming into peak season rather than having any works down in the winter.


I agree with a lot of your post, but calling the Texas Steakout, the Hamptons and Bella Italia as good as any restaurant in Dublin or Cork? They would not even be the three most impressive restaurant s in Limerick let alone better than anything in Dublin or Cork. They are fine at what they do, and I am partial to the food in Bella Italia, but none are anything more than run of the mill at what they do.

I don't think all of this thread is negative, and plenty of it is people offering suggestions as to what they would love to see in Limerick, things that they think would make Limerick an even more attractive draw.

I know that I myself voiced a need for people to temper expectations for the city of culture year and by that I meant that people should not be expectating similar sized events etc as much bigger and richer cities were able to hold. Limerick next year should be judged on her own merits imo, and not by what other cities did in the past.

sleepyman

I'd have to agree- they're pleasant enough places to eat but they're hardly Michelin star quality.I don't think anyway that high end dining would work in Limerick as there isn't the same level of wealth or population that's in Dublin.What comes across in these threads is the amount of great ideas that people have-they're not even totally unrealistic either-they just play on Limericks strength.It baffles me how the Council don't try to use some of them or even have a meeting or something with the posters here.

Cityslicker1

source wrote: »

vkid, you're not wrong, in any other city in any other country that street would be a tourist mecca.

They really need to get rid of the absolute crap that fills that street. When i used to get asked for directions to the castle, I used to hate sending people up Nicholas Street.

They really need to get the finger out, My biggest issue is that while there is absolutely loads going on around the city, we never hear about it until it's too late.

That link I posted earlier in the thread, is full of events going on around the city. But there is no on street advertising, there is very little advertising done in local media. We seem to take the view of, if we build it they will come.

A prime example, I live practically beside the Lime Tree theatre, I'm signed up to their newsletter email. Yet I still didn't know Tommy Tiernan was playing there until I bumped into him outside the Redemptorist Church the day of the gig.

Because there is very little advertising, it's not surprising that there are so many people on here being negative, and saying there is nothing going on.

I agree with you on this. I didn't see any advertising in the city centre about the Riverfest before it was on except for one ad at the Tipperary roundabout. Whenever I'm in Cork, Dublin or Galway I always notice advertising posters months before upcoming events on the street lighting brackets, which are not only informative but also enhance the city centres from an aesthetic point of view as many of the posters are quite creative. They have these brackets on the new street lighting on William street which were utilised at Christmas but they havent been used since. Will they ever get around to doing some improvement works on O'Connell street...even the planting of trees on both sides would make a huge difference and would hardly break the bank. Because the street is so long and straight I think lots of trees would be effective in giving it more of an avenue feel than a bare soulless street. I was hoping they would have planted more on the upgraded William street as there's only about four at the top left side of the street..they should have planted trees the whole way up the right side of the street from the junction at O'Connell street. There's an issue at the moment with a lack of energy and vibrancy in the city centre so why did they move the bus stop from outside Brown Thomas on O' Connell street which is literally the centre of the city..it used to be a bit of a buzz and vibrant when people were waiting and getting off buses right in the centre. I think the more people congretgating on O'Connell street the better..moving bus stops off O'Connell street is a mistake in my opinion..look at Patrick street in Cork and O'Connell street in Dublin..always buzzy with buses dropping off and picking people up.

grenache

vkid wrote: »

It doesnt matter what Cork got, Their year as European City of Culture was a non event, a failure. Limerick coudlnt do any worse

A failure? :eek: Compared to what?

Cork had its name advertised all across Europe because of it. All the money in the world couldn't buy that type of exposure.

Compare the revamped thriving Patrick St with its aesthetically pleasing buildings to the very ugly O'Connell St in Limerick with its boarded up buildings and pound shops, then tell me 2005 was a failure.

That comment has to be one of the most stupid and ill-informed I've read on boards.

Silentcorner

grenache wrote: »

A failure? :eek: Compared to what?

Cork had its name advertised all across Europe because of it. All the money in the world couldn't buy that type of exposure.

Compare the revamped thriving Patrick St with its aesthetically pleasing buildings to the very ugly O'Connell St in Limerick with its boarded up buildings and pound shops, then tell me 2005 was a failure.

That comment has to be one of the most stupid and ill-informed I've read on boards.

Advertised where across Europe? What cities? What Tv channels/newspapers etc? Paid for by whom?

Or are you talking about profile? if so without googling who has had the title of European City of Culture since, indeed who can honestly name the current holder?

Having lived in Cork during 2005, I can confirm that the businesses in Cork believed it to be a damp squid, this is no fault of the people of Cork who have every right to be proud of their city, unfortunately these Culture years often are,just look at Derry at the moment, the feeling on the ground there is the same.

You are right the revamping of Patricks St was a big improvement for the city, but that had been planned long before the City of Culture, take it from someone who's job involved spending time in a lot of the buildings on Patrick St it is not just the street and footpaths that need revamping, and having walked the street last month you have the same amount of empty units on Patricks St as you do on O'Connell St, so by your own argument it was a waste of money...yes you have a lot more people on the street, but Cork City is three times the size of Limerick, whilst the city centre is only margionally bigger.

For the record, I enjoy Cork and its city centre, as I do Limericks, to suggest that there is a marked difference in aesthetics is a bit of a stretch.

Not for the first time Grenach, your pure disdain for all things Limerick is blinding you from the reality of where you now live.