The characters of Limerick

moshpit77

I was just reading an article on limerick.com about old characters of Limerick. We still have a lot of characters around the city, lots that you might see every day but not know who they are or what their names are, so I thought I'd stard a thread about them.

Obviously don't write anything that might be bad or slanderous about these people, just discuss them. After all they're part of what makes Limerick.. Limerick!

Willie Three Toes for example... although he hasn't been seen as much lately. I think he's moved to Ardnacrusha or someplace...

scuba steve

I havent seen Willy three toes in good few years. He once attacked a guy on our school trip round the city because he was lookin at his dogs, he went mad. I remember goin to the cinema and before the film came on, there was like a promo about Limerick and famous people from the city sayin "where are u from?" and Willy was in it

limerick_man

Who? What did he do? was he an actor or something?

your my lady

willie three toes was a truly mad character. He used to walk the streets of Limerick dressed like a flippin Viking and had a big stick(simliar to something that you'd imagine from a Heidi book) he often had bells and odd sorts hanging off him. More often than not he traveled on his bike, and would spend his days roaring all sorts of gobbledegook. I heard bits and pieces of his ravings and, although he was (or is) a raving lunatic, he was very expressive and articualte. mad from Brains...so they say.

As far as I know he was living in St Mary's Park. I havent seen him in a couple of years. Maybe someone could shed some light?

limerick_man

How did he become famous? And how did he lose everything?

bazz26

I remember him, seen him in town one day when the sun was splitting the rocks and he was on his bike with a big heavy overcoat on, ranting at everyone of course.

Anybody remember Dodo Reddin? She used to have a pram full of stray dogs and was seen at all Young Munster rugby matches out in Rosbrien. She was a charactor but alas she passed away about 8 years ago at this stage.

Gurl05

i had no idea either.what bout that mad woman i aint sayin her name..i'd let ya figure it out...mad & homeless

jonski

Gurl05 wrote:

i had no idea either.what bout that mad woman i aint sayin her name..i'd let ya figure it out...mad & homeless

you will have to be more specific

gregos

Gurl05 wrote:

i had no idea either.what bout that mad woman i aint sayin her name..i'd let ya figure it out...mad & homeless

If you found yourself homeless, you might go mad too.

moshpit77

annie.. well I think she's more of a person with a lot of problems than a character really

moshpit77

Yeah Dodo was gas. There was national outrage when they wouldn't let her into lansdowne road with the dogs for the league final! Had she a goat with her that day too?

She used to take in any stray dog and give it a home in her pram.. lots more strays in Limerick since she passed on

ricey

Ya i lived a few doors up from willie 3toe`s going back a long time ago in st marys park fair enough the man was mad but he was as sound as a pound never harmed someone in his life only time would ever have attacked someone even do i think the word attacked is a bit much was because everyone was slagin him all the time if everyone went around roarin and slagin me id prob be in jail right now..ha he had some stories il tell ya that much. I remember one day me my aunt and my mother were out walking the island bank met willie and his hair was always really black cuz he used die it so my aunt asked him wat type of haie colour he used, well he went ape shi7 picked up a load of nettels rubbed them all over his face hair everyplace now ladies he said thats how its done no bloody fake coulor in my family! he aslo painted the roof of his house which he shared with his goat red so the planes from shannon wouldnt land on it (crazy but true) think he moved away now not sure were he always said he would.
Wille Three Toe`s a True Limerick Character.

ricey

And as far as i know annie aint homeless she lives with her sister
in weston. she aint a character she`s just another limerick street
drinker who needs to get off the streets.

John2002

Anyone remember Fat Francis (I think that's what he was called anyway)? Big fat guy that was always sitting on the steps beside Ted's. Haven't seen him in a while.

That Willie Three Toes guy was gas. I used work above the AIB bank on O'Connell St and we used to hear him ranting up the street on his bike on a regular basis.

limerick_man

Are these people all homeless? How do ye know them?

Gurl05

ya thats her annie fitz

bazz26

John2002 wrote:

Anyone remember Fat Francis (I think that's what he was called anyway)? Big fat guy that was always sitting on the steps beside Ted's. Haven't seen him in a while.

Francis Coleman was his name and I think he has passed away also.

jonski

bazz26 wrote:

Francis Coleman was his name and I think he has passed away also.

yup : Francis passed away about 18 months ago . He used to be on Hyde road all the time looking for a lift to St. John's hospital .

billy the squid

Francis Coleman only died a few weks ago. he was big into old movies and was a walking encyclopedia on the movies.

jonski

My timeframe is a bit out the window atm due to not being at work , but I thought it was a lot longer than a few weeks . I used to work in a video store near him , a good few years back , and he used to spend ages in there , knew just about everything about films and seemingly had a big collection .

On another note , what about " mad monday" , never actually saw this guy myself , but everyone used to talk about him .

bazz26

I remember Mad Monday alright, he stayed in St. Joseph's Hospital many years ago, when I used to walk down Mulgrave St. to school in the mornings he used be always sitting on the wall outside the Esso station with the same cigarette in his mouth, don't think he every smoked it. He had a huge beer belly and wore a cap similar to Dinnie from Glenroe.

Havn't seen him in years.

Delphi91

"Disco Dom(inic)" has to be another of the charaters in Limerick.

moshpit77

Isn't he Gerry Hannan's brother?

gaf1983

does anyone know who that guy is who travels around on the buses all day carrying an empty superquinn bag?

KNS

Used to see that guy on the bus to Castletroy a fair bit. He used to just hop on at Williams Street chat to the bus driver and then get off up the road. Haven't gotten the bus much in the last few years though.

your my lady

Dont think Disco Dom is a relative of gerry hannon, but he sure is a character. Whe I told him my date of birth, he told me on the spot that the pope was shot the day before I was born, and that the week I was born, Bobby Sands died in jail. All of which was true. Aparently, he has a photographic memory.

I also think he is mildly autistic, but Im not sure. He is certainly a very interesting ang genuine character.

Anybody know Tony Browne? i think he could qualify as a character?

billy the squid

tony browne the curtain maker and historian?

iguana

Wonder why they called him willie three toes? My uncle was in his house years ago, he said the whole inside of one room was painted bright orange. He also had the full compliment of five toes on each foot.

Is that homeless guy who used to sit at the AIB bank on William St still alive. The one who always had his dog. My friend's mum bought him a burger onetime and he ate the bread and gave the dog the meat.

billy the squid

i wouldnt exactly call some of the people mentioned here , characters

they are just people who have fallen on hard times some of them.

jonski

iguana wrote:

Is that homeless guy who used to sit at the AIB bank on William St still alive. The one who always had his dog. My friend's mum bought him a burger onetime and he ate the bread and gave the dog the meat.

That guy's name is Con , 30 odd years ago when I was a kid he used to be a gardener , he used to do ours at home , must ask mam and dad about him when I'm talking to them , but I believe it was just the demon drink that got the better of him .

Paige

God its weird reading this thread I know everyone yer talkin about!!

Bloody hell this is one small town

film_gonzo

iguana wrote:

Wonder why they called him willie three toes? .

I had a friend that used to work in a shop in Limerick where one day Willie showed her that indeed he only had 3 toes on one foot.

BobTheBeat

John2002 wrote:

Anyone remember Fat Francis (I think that's what he was called anyway)? Big fat guy that was always sitting on the steps beside Ted's. Haven't seen him in a while.

That Willie Three Toes guy was gas. I used work above the AIB bank on O'Connell St and we used to hear him ranting up the street on his bike on a regular basis.

Ah Francis, the man was always frownin!:- he passed away maybe a year or so ago I coulda' sworn

bullets

(sorry in advance for my poor spelling)

Dodo Redden - Kept the same dogs until they died.
As far as I know. RIP dead

Mad Monday -dunno if hes still about

Sammy Joyce local wino with the long beard -RIP dead.
He came from a Ballynanty originally. I think his marrige broke
up and he drank himeslf into oblivian eventually he had rats infesting
his home and was evicted. As far as I know he had family but refused
to ask them for help. He got cleaned up a few times but always
went back to the drink.

Willy 3 toes is still about - Has a tricycle with a sign sateing invilid
on board and when walking he often holds a mirror and looks behind him with it.

Fat Frances - RIP dead. He was known for his knowledge in old Cinema flicks.
The Kids used to say he was the shape he was cos he molested children and
a truck was driven over his stomach but that was all rumor.

Rashers was another crazy homeless dude

There was a homeless guy with jack russell that used to sit
at the top of william street near the AIB that used to beg for
money and play the mouth organ and any time you gave him money
he would fire it back at ya dunno his name.

There was a chap called Gabrelle that used to stand next to the AIB holding
a sign. He often lashed out and hit women! He hit my mother when she was a girl.
and when his father died he tried to bury him in his garden.

Captain Birds eye - Homeless man who looked like Captain Birds eye
he used to wear yellow plastic rain pants and used to rummage around
the bins in Limerick if anyone looked at him he pretended he was not
looking through the bins. He walked with a limp and often slept in Heroine
lane near Domonic street.

Theres a heavy guy with long hair that used to walk from Punchess Cross
to town and get the Raheen Bus back he always wore a greay sweat top and
a wine coloured tracksuit pants.

Another Raheen bus regular was an old ex-airforce captain that used
to talk to all the girls on the bus. He used to only get on for 2-3 stops
and get off at punches cross. He aked my girlfriend would she like to
goto the pictures with hime before. At the time she thought he
was the bus conductor as he was dressed in a navy uniform!!

There are a few more raheen bus crazies. Dunno what it is about buses
they love em and always drive the bus drivers nuts.
There is a slightly backward harmless bloke who used to go about
the place with his 2 friends they looked like the trio out of the
last of the summer wine. and often hung around Roches stores entrance.
dunno their names.

Anyone remember the partially blind guy that used to sit
outside william street and Todds years ago. He claimed he was fully
blind but was not. (not to be confused with the guy who was running the
scam that the limerick leader exposed)

There was a bloke who used to play the trumpet outside roches
and he had malformed hands. He moved back and forth dublin-limerick

There was a guy years ago who had a monkey and used to get it to sit
on poeples shoulders and he took your photo. The monkey bit someone and
he eventually disappeared.

John Binden?? and his sister ?? used to hang around aurthurs quey AIB
the place you used to need to swipe your card for access. They always
had a dog and used to harress people for money.

There was a well know Hooker that used to travel on the buse's a lot too
used to dress in black a lot.


There was a guy with flaming red hair who smelled real bad and
wore a green rain jackett and went around with his dinnear in a plstic
bag. He would remind your of a cross between a wearwolf and shaggy
from scooby doo with a little igor thrown in.

There was another homeless guy that walked and walked and walked
he had weird boobley eyes and wore a worn suit. He was always very
polite never begged he used to sometime go around the place
with what looked like flear poweder or baby powder covering his
hair and shoulders.

There was a guy who had very very thick yellowish glasses and
he used to wear a suit and he had black shortish wavy hair.
he used to stand outside todds staring at all the woman and
walked quite often up Roxboro Road. he used to freak all
the girls out. He looked like some School Teacher gone
terrebly terribly wrong.

There was a guy who had all the anti-abortion poster who
stood outdide todds.

There was the dude with the megaphone that used to preach on
Cruises street with the paper and water paints.

On the gothish looking types:

Cora Peters - one of the first Goths ever in Limerick
(or who looked like a goth) everyone about the place
for a bit would know her to see her.

Catherine Moloney - Another well known goth that used to
hand out Termights flyers outside Todds. she still looks
the exact same as she did 10 years ago.

There was Me who about 7-10 years ago used to have a go around with a long coat
and black leather jackets until they became popular with the spooky kids
and I decided to stop wearing them as I looked like an idiot.

Bob O'Connell - The bloke who started Termights club. Well known figure
around Limerick when it came to alternative music. lark in the Park kinda things.
He used to wear tinted/dark glasses regardeless if it was day/night.

The ex termights bouncers who now do security at the church near wealons
camera shop they were well known Limerick Characters.

Jimmy Butler - The bouncer from Docs niteclub who was also a
body builder.

Mad Micheal - Guy who used to sell doors near the Markett where
the car park is. He used to Cycle from Patrickswell to the City
and call EVERYbody Michael.

moshpit77

Wow that's lots of information bullets!

A lot of those would be just well known people, not necessarily 'characters'

Another Raheen bus regular was an old ex-airforce captain that used
to talk to all the girls on the bus. He used to only get on for 2-3 stops
and get off at punches cross. He aked my girlfriend would she like to
goto the pictures with hime before. At the time she thought he
was the bus conductor as he was dressed in a navy uniform!!

.. his name is Seán, he lives in Ballinacurra. Haven't seen him in a while though.

The ex termights bouncers who now do security at the church near wealons
camera shop

... that's Jimmy Calvert. I used to work with him once! He's sound, very funny guy.

gaf1983

I suppose not all the characters of Limerick are either homeless people or people that hang around town all day - for instance I know some people who mightn't be well known but would still be characters in their own right. For instance, one guy, how I shall call ****** ******* cos he might not want people to know I put his name up on the web without his permission.

During the summer of 2003 I was at a house party in Elm Park and my friend ****** ******* who is completely nuts showed us his party piece. Basically you have to be at a party in a student house for this to work or else the whole trick falls apart. What you do is go into the kitchen, get a bottle of Fairy Liquid and squirt it all over the kitchen floor. Then you sit back and watch, while keeping drinking of course. That way when anyone walks into the kitchen will slip and fall flat on their arse, with hilarious consequences. Problem. By the following morning the people living there hadn't got round to cleaning the house up and they were all asleep, when their landlord called to show a future tenant around the house who was looking at it with her mother. Didn't the 3 of them walk into the kitchen and all fall on their backs!!! True story. The Fairy Liquid thing really works really well. I think the landlord was none to pleased.

One night the same guy and a friend of his went to termights and had all this money from some country that was worth absolutely nothing over here and started throwing it all around the place going crazy and telling people they had won the lotto and word spread anyway and eventually a neighbour of mine thought he had actually won the lotto because somehow or other the word had got back to my neighbour's mother that they had won the lotto but of course they hadn't, they were just throwing worthless money around termights for the laugh.

John2002

bullets.ie wrote:

There was a homeless guy with jack russell that used to sit
at the top of william street near the AIB that used to beg for
money and play the mouth organ and any time you gave him money
he would fire it back at ya dunno his name.

Powlie (spelling?) was the name of the dog IIRC.

steve_kav

willie is still alive hes in a nursing home in killaloe

krudler

in before the zombie lock.

Kess73

John2002 wrote: »

Powlie (spelling?) was the name of the dog IIRC.

The dog was killed on him some time back. Was a bloody heart breaking story. Bunch of scummers grabbed the little dog and walked down to the bridge by the Potato market and threw the dog off the bridge.

billy the squid

zombie thread

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