The Limerick Blogger: latest Limerick news and Limerick events

The Wilders, Ian and Kimberly, who were of great assistance to us during the Malachy McCourt election campaign last year, wish to have one of their videos viewed as many times as possible on youtube. In essence, they want as many people to see it as they can.

The New York Green Party activists are sending out a message that they want all US troops brought back home.

While US activity may not have any direct effect on Limerick, bear in mind that American troops who go to the likes of Afghanistan and Iraq are doing so via Shannon Airport. We are supposed to be a neutral country.

Anyway, here is the video.

More info can be found here.

A disappointing Munster team were well beaten by Llanelli Scarlets in their quarter final at Stradey park last night. The reigning champions were always well behind, trailing at half time by 17 points to nil. Some bit of pride was restored in the second half but the Welsh team ran out deserving winners on a 24 points to 15 scoreline. Save for the Magners league Munsters season is effectively now over but hopefully the financial foundations for the future are being laid. The announcement of the addidas kit deal has been enhanced by the extension of the title sponsorship deal with Toyota. The continued partnership between Munster Rugby and Ireland’s leading motor distributors will also include the Munster senior and under 20 sides and equals a € 5 million sponsorship investment by Toyota between 2007 and 2010. And with the diggers currently huffing and puffing and knocking Thomond Park, the future of Munster rugby seems to look good. A few signings will be required and hopefully Munster will have the means to get the quality required.

Limerick 37 have an away game this weekend in the eircom league first division and play the Wexford youths in Wexford on Sunday, we wish them the best of luck.

David Zelz writes for the Bangor Daily News in Bangor Maine. On St. Patrick’s Weekend he wrote an article on the city of Liemrick and has given us permission to share it with our readers

Here is the entire article.

A major waterway recognized and promoted for its economic potential; a revitalization effort for a charmless downtown; rarely a destination, more often a point of departure; overshadowed by more cosmopolitan and diverse urban centers; anchored by institutions of higher learning; readily associated with a notable author; sound a bit like the Bangor area? Perhaps, but it also describes Ireland’s city of Limerick. Third in population but first in gritty, crime saturated reputation, Limerick has been shamelessly dismissed and cynically ridiculed by most travel guides and virtually abandoned by the tourist industry. Introduced to most by native scribe and Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt’s dreary, depressing and unflattering memoir, Angela’s Ashes, Limerick has for years been fighting an uphill battle in nursing wounds inflicted by a beleaguered identity and exaggerated crime statistics.

Sensitive to its reputation and the consequences and limitations it imposes, Limerick is no longer passively idling but is now aggressively pursuing a relentless campaign to showcase its innumerable cultural, historic and economic assets. No longer the poor, threadbare cousin to modern, sophisticated Dublin or art-chic Galway, Limerick is leaving the leprechauns and thatched cottages to Killarney and Adare to serve up a portrait of a true working Irish city offering culture, sports, history, shopping and, yes, a thriving pub culture, to an as yet elusive tourist base. Despite all its perceived faults, Limerick’s greatest flaw is that it has, until recently, been criminally negligent in self-promotion. Countering its out dated “Stab City� moniker with the tongue in cheek, more tourist friendly “Fab City� Limerick is now giving its image a facelift. Surrendering its switchblades in exchange for facts, statistic and adroit marketing, Limerick is now poised to combat a past and reputation steeped in poverty, violence and inferiority.

Now heralded an economic zone second only to Dublin, Limerick has clearly turned a corner. With literally hundreds of millions of euros invested in its academic and economic infrastructure, it has successfully attracted and retained blue chip multinationals that look to the city’s 15000 students as fuel for future growth. A city that has been so readily discarded as irrelevant has now been given a vote of confidence by a new employee population that views Limerick as home to its families and a source of quality education to its children.

This is the new Limerick. No longer skulking and slinking about in murky urban shadows, the once derided “Stab City� has shaken itself free from the encumbrances that have for decades shackled it to biases and stereotypes. This is the new Limerick; the new “Riverside City� Limerick that numbers economic development, urban planning and tourism amongst its top priorities. No longer paralyzed by a thuggish reputation, today’s Limerick projects a confidence and spirited vision that is accelerating it from being one of Ireland’s best kept secrets towards a well deserved visibility and prominence.

Easily accessible by air, rail and automobile, Limerick no longer hovers below the radar of Ireland’s tourist trade. An exciting and colorful past introduced through self-guided excursions or with the very capable assistance of the local tourist authority beckons visitors to extended stays. The compactness of the city makes its diversity of attractions readily accessible while meandering amongst neighborhoods of colorful row houses inviting pubs and prominent Georgian architecture. Well-manicured parks, gardens and squares welcome with a calming appeal. Lush, shaded commons or riverside walking paths are an excellent vantage point from which to appreciate Limerick’s vitality, plan a day’s excursion or simply recover from the previous night’s soiree.

With now over 1000 hotel beds, options for accommodations in Limerick range from the luxurious to the quaint but elegant. Dining choices are equally plentiful. When once a night out meant little more than fast food and a cheesy disco, Limerick now entices with international cuisine, multi-storied super pubs, live music and a host of late night options. Coffee bars and cafes are always a choice to satiate but seeking out the full Irish breakfast of rashers, eggs, baked beans and kidney pie by accepting the hospitality at a B & B or wandering to the Horse and Hound on the corner of Cathedral Place and Mulgrave Street or maybe Dolans down on the Dock Road or any number of other early morning pubs will sufficiently fortify in preparation for a full Limerick day.

Limerick’s cultural renaissance is in no greater evidence than in the restoration, preservation and archaeological excavation of what is arguably its signature branding, King John’s Castle. From the banks of the Shannon, the drum towers and magnificent curtain walls have been a stalwart presence since the 13th century. Recent history, however, has seen this once proud edifice eroded, decayed and abused, surrendering to neglect by a city once indifferent to a proud past. Fortunately Limerick has rediscovered this treasure. Once again a stately and commanding presence, its walls house museums, displays and archaeological perspectives. A spacious courtyard once given over to squalid row houses has been reclaimed by further preservation and provides some excellent opportunities to view its now bustling protectorate. City and regional history are also encapsulated in the nearby Limerick Museum and a taste of Limerick’s regal Georgian past can be sampled at the Georgian House and Garden Museum. Further, a tour of the Hunt Museum offers the visitor a look at one of Ireland’s most extensive private collections of art and antiques.

History and culture are not all that await the visitor to modern Limerick. Considered the sporting capital of Ireland, it is home to Thomond Park, a stadium to rival Europe’s finest. Shopping opportunities abound. Traditional Irish handcrafts, Irish books and music and gifts are complemented by the shops and upscale boutiques of the Cruise’s Street pedestrian zone. With other such downtown plans in the offing, Limerick’s rebirth continues to be a tasteful blending of the venerable with the modern; the sophisticated with convention and its continued success beats in the heart of its people. With all its quirks and faults, Limerick will, nonetheless, charm and seduce with the allure and warmth of a glass of Jameson and the heart and soul of Patrick Kavanagh. Let its warmth and spirit embrace and put prepackaged Ireland off for a day or two. With a pub for nearly every day of the year, Limerick and a proud people beckon. Be it the art students and intellectuals at Tom Collins on Cecil Street, the bankers and lawyers at Jury’s Hotel or the regular working class folk at Tom and Jerry’s on Lower Glentworth, this is the face of Limerick where a casual conversation over a pint of Guinness could yield a lifetime of friendship and memories.

David A. Zelz

PPI award winner Mike Knightson has moved to NewsTalk where he will present a show called The Meaning of Music” from tomorrow night.

More from HotPress

94% of students who voted in yesterday’s referendum on whether or not to withdraw with the Alcohol Policy Agreement at the University of Limerick have voted in favour of withdrawing.

As part of the policy, sponsorship of clubs and societies by alcohol companies was ended, and restrictions were put on the promotion of alcoholic products at the university’s bars.

In exchange for this, the University authorities promised to finance the affected clubs and societies to the tune of €60,000 a year as well as providing an alcohol free bar on campus. However, student representatives claim that the UL authorities have failed to meet their end of the bargain.

From ULSU statement

Now, students in UL are to negotiate with the University for completion of three of the promises outlined in the Policy: €60,000 per annum for Clubs and Societies to replace lost alcohol related sponsorship; a late night non-alcohol venue, and; Wednesday afternoons free in order to foster participation in extra-curricular activities. None of these promises have been acted upon, five years into the Policy’s implementation.

If there is no progress before next November, the Students’ Union will fully withdraw from the Campus Alcohol Policy. If this occurs, the Students’ Union will commit to implementing its own responsible drinking strategy for students.

A protest organised by local members of Sinn Féin was held last night at the office of Tim O’Malley, junior minister for health last night

The protest was to show objections to plans to build a private hospital on the grounds of the Mid-Western regional hospital.

The demonstration then moved on to the hospital.

According to Sinn Féin’s Maurice quinlivan, the protest went well with 20 people attending and over 1,000 flyers handed out to passing members of the public.

Despite the low turnout, Mr. Quinlivan told Live 95FM that support for their cause is out there.

There has been a generally positive reaction to the proposals laid out by the Fitzgerald report on anti-social behaviour and social inclusion in the areas of Moyross and Southill.

Describing the recommendation to demolish hundreds of houses contained within the report as proof of abject failure by both council and state, Sinn Féin candidate Maurice Quinlivan, welcomed the proposals.

“This report is a welcome first step in tackling the problems afflicting this city. I hope the government has the commitment and courage to act on the proposals immediately. Having recently met with Mr. Fitzgerald I am very happy that he seems to have taken on board many of the points Sinn Fein have been raising over the last number of years with regard to improvements to local infrastructure, environment and employment opportunities in the
Moyross, Keyes Park and Southill areas.”

Although he had less than kind words for officials and local politicians at Limerick City Council.

“How has the situation in our public housing estates been allowed to deteriorate to such an extent that mass demolition is now the only way forward. Will the council officials and politicians who have overseen this social disaster be brought to account? We are talking about a total abdication of responsibility on the part of a range of public bodies-including Limerick City Council, our local politicians and law enforcement – over several years.

Pointing out that the cost to the City of providing a council house is at least €250,000. Quinlivan goes on to ask “how much public money has been wasted through years of failure now that nearly 1,000 houses need to be demolished. This is literally hundreds of millions of Euro not to mention the human story behind each and every one of those 1,000 homes. Will anyone actually be held accountable for this?“

“The people of Limerick should remember the huge cost of this failure when politicians come knocking at their doors in the coming weeks. They should remember the thousands of local residents who have been abandoned by their local authority and left to live in fear of their lives. Sinn Fein will ensure this is a major issue in the upcoming election�

“The situation in Moyross, and Southill did not come about by accident, It came about because of willful failure of the city council to engage with the problems affecting working class communities. The bottom line is that for years nobody in the Limerick political establishment gave a damn about what was happening in these communities-that’s why we have reached a point where hundreds of publicly built houses now need to be demolished.�

Councillor John Gilligan told Limerick Live95FM that the price tag of €200m was not too much to spend on this rejuvenation proposal.

Local residents who also spoke to the local radio station reacted positively to the report, with special emphasis on a desire to see drug pushers in the area given the boot.

A water pollution alert has been issued for those receiving their water supply from the Ballingary area.

From Limerick County Council

Date: Friday, 30th March 2007
Affected Supply: Ballingarry Water Supply
Affected Areas: Ballingarry Village & Surrounding Area
Lisamote Road Group Scheme
Rylands Group Schemes
Mountbrown Group Schemes
Fort William Group Schemes
Ballingarry Upper Group Schemes

Dear Consumer,

As sanitary authority, we wish to advise you that due to the presence of elevated Nitrate Levels, water from the Ballingarry Water Supply should not be used by expectant mothers and children under 2 years for drinking until further notice. This notice only applies to the above categories of persons.

Domestic filters will not guarantee that water is safe to drink. Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers. It is safe to drink commercial bottled mineral water. Prepare baby feeds with commercial bottled water. Avoid using water that is fizzy. Check the label: water in bottles labelled “natural mineral water� is not required to meet all the standards of tap waters. Don’t use natural mineral water with concentrations greater than the following for infant feeding: Sodium – 200mg/l; Nitrate – 50mg/l; Nitrite 0.5mg/l; Sulphate –250mg/l. We repeat that this notice only applies in respect of expectant mothers and children under 2 years and only in respect of water for drinking purposes and infant feed preparation.

Further information and advice is available from the following phone numbers:
061 49 63 26 (9.30 – 4.30pm, Mon. – Fri.) 061 41 92 26 (after hours)

Updates on the water supply will be given on local radio if there are any changes to this notice.

A further notice will be issued.

Signed:
Paul Crowe
Director of Services
Transportation and Water

The City edition of the Limerick leader has revealed the nine recommendations set out by former Dublin City Manager John Fitzgerald which it is hope will alleviate the problems of crime, anti-social behaviour and social inclusion in some of the city’s most troubled housing estates.

It may not go down well with some though, as there will be people in Southill facing the prospect of their homes becoming the subject of compulsory purchase orders should the recommendations are approved by the Government next week.

Here is a brief summary of what is being proposed:

Put in place intensive policing arrangements

In order for other interventions to work, Mr. Fitzgerald feels that there should be concentrated policing efforts in the troubled areas of Moyross and Southill. His report recommends that 100 extra Gardai be put in place to deal with these areas.

It is also proposed that there should be a CAB division based in Limerick to deal with organised criminals. It is envisaged in the report that the “normalisation” of these areas would involve a five year policing programme.

With the tackling of organised criminals by gardai and the regeneration of housing estates, as well as Limerick City Council using all it’s powers to deal with anti-social tennants, it is hoped that the concentration of criminals in these areas would be reduced.

There is a cautionary note however, Mr. Fitzgerald warned that the problems in these estates must not be simply displaced to other areas.

Comment: Fitzgerald will have his work cut out for him if he thinks he can get 100 extra Gardai in Limerick. Who would babysit the Shell facility in Mayo for the Government, as this is the most likely place from which the Government could redeploy these guards from.

Establish structures for regeneration

As part of this recommendation, it is proposed that two agencies be set up to co-ordinate the different state bodies and local authorities so that the wholesale redevelopment of estates in the city can be done more efficiently. One agency would deal with Moyross while the other would deal with Southill.

There is a possibility that the Northern City Rejuvenation agency could take in the area of St. Mary’s Park as well as Moyross, while the Southern agency could take in Ballinacurra Weston.

Mr. Fitzgerald believes that these agencies could be set up quickly using existing corporate bodies legislation.

Comment:At first, Ballinacurra Weston was not included in proposals, but it is good to see that it has now been taken into consideration. In all lightlyhood, those involved in crime in Southill would have connections to people in Weston. If weston was not included in this project, the result would simply be moving Southill’s problems into Weston.

Establish dedicated teams under the auspices of the Development agencies to address social and family problems in the designated areas, including educational disadvantage.

It is proposed in the report that both of the Development agencies would have a team of people who would deal with problems associated with things such as school truancy, and help with families who are having problems. Their role would also be to work with local schools to organise after school services for children as well as activities during the summer holidays.

The teams would be lead by a Key member of staff and would also include an Education Welfare Officer, a family support worker, a representative of the local drugs task force and of the Health Service Executive, a community development worker and a community Garda.

It is hoped that this team will liaise with local sports clubs to develop activities for the young. Schools will also have a role in helping the teams to create after school and in school initiatives to combat the likes of truancy

Comment: While we are on the subject of Education, isn’t it high time that these areas had a secondary school nearer to their locality?

Suggesting that existing state agencies co-operate with each other on these teams is a good thing, as it stands the fact that one state body doesn’t know what the other state body is doing can lead to confusion when someone is applying for state services.

Improve access and infrastructure

The report recommends that the proposed road linking the N7 to the Coonagh Roundabout should be given priority, in particular the portion of the road from the Coonagh roundabout to the Moyross interchange.

It is believed that access to such a road would encourage investment in the area.

Proper transport links to other parts of the city are also suggested.

Comment: The same could be said on the south side of the city. At present there are plans to cut off access to the Roxboro exit of the southern ring road. This must go back to the drawing board or else Southill will have the same access problems that Moyross has now.

Also it is important that CCTV cameras be installed on all buses so that should attacks on them take place, those responsible can be identified and prosecuted.

Attract inward investment

In order for any redevelopment plans to be effective on the northside of the city, Mr. Fitzgerald believes that one local authority should be responsible for it. In his report, he is recommending that the city boundary should be extended as far as the Clare boundary, thus putting all of Moyross in the juristiction of Limerick City Council.

It would also be the job of the local development agencies to “sell” their respective areas to potential businesses thinking of investing in these areas.

Comment: I can see this causing problems for City Council in their efforts to get a boundary extension on the south side of the city in the future. The department of the Environment are fudging the boundary extension idea already, with an extension into Moyross, they will be able to say “You got your boundary extension, fow f**k off.”

It is recommended in the report that the department of Finance and Local Government create incentives to encourage private investors to develop on lands in Moyross and Southill.

The existing programmes such as the Shannon Limerick Gateway initiative could be charged with making this happen.

I can’t really add to that, only that it is about time that someone suggested it. But regeneration on this scale will involve the demolition of people’s houses in the area, some of which are owner-occupied. Resistance to things like compulsary purchase orders could cause delays in this area.

Develop the Region

Because the amount of land availible to Limerick City Council for social housing is limited, it is proposed in the report that adjoining local authorities work together to create an organised development plan as opposed to the fragmented one in place now.

Mr. Fitzgerald believes that co-operation between local authorities in the region is essential for the Shannon Limerick Gateway project to work, which will only work if there is a working Limerick City Centre.

Comment: To see the state of affairs now you only have to take a look at the “bus lane to nowhere” in Raheen. Limerick County Council built this bus corridor before Limerick City Council were in a position to finish it. Now it stops at a dead end at Crescent shopping centre. Another bus lane to nowhere is planned for the Ennis Road.

Address drugs problems

A local focus group to deal with the “acute” drugs problems in Limerick City is recommended by Mr. Fitzgerald. It is hoped that that this focus group would assist the Development agencies in providing prevention and education programmes on drugs.

Regenerate the housing stock

It is proposed by the report that monies used to restore houses in O’Malley Park and Moyross be redirected to redevelopment instead. because it costs more or less the same to rebuild a house as it does to restore it, the initiative would be “cost neutral.

In total, the number of houses which would need to be demolished in Moyross and Southill is in excess of 1,000.

The areas would then be redeveloped to include mixed uses including private homes, social housing, and commercial areas.

Comment: There are three pproblems which will arise out of this. Those that own their homes in these areas will be subjected to compulsory purchase orders. Those that may not want to leave or are not satisfied with the price they are being offered for their homes will cause delays in this project. These people will have to get a satisfactory price so they can buy new homes. Another problem I see is organised criminals cashing in on houses they own in these areas but are renting them out. It would be an idea to have the Criminal Assets Bureau audit the houses to ensure they were not purchased through ill-gotten gains and seize them if they were. That way there would be no windfall for these criminals.

I could also see these criminals obstructing compulsory purchase orders on these homes if they want things to stay the way they are in these estates. This is another reason why the CAB should try to take these houses away from them.

A number of foreign workers at Dell were lifted by Gardai on Tuesday after a tip off from the Department of Social Community and Family affairs stating that they had obtained their work permits using false documentation.

While a spokesperson for Dell claimed this week that there were as little as five people taken away for questioning, the Limerick Leader reports that there is speculation that the number could be as high as forty.

The foreign nationals were taken by Gardai and questioned individually about their papers, however no arrests were made.