Limerick Underground

The 20th October 2017 was the day that Limerick changed for me.

I was sitting outside Melt café on Little Catherine Street awaiting a friend. It was a bustling Friday evening in town and we had plans to visit one of the many new bars and restaurants that had sprung up in the last few weeks. I sat and watched as streams of people walked by and for the first time in many years I felt like I was living in an active city. Actually, to place the change that has occurred in Limerick down to one solidarity day does a disservice to what our city has become over the last 12 months. There has been an expectant energy around the place and this seemed to culminate in a December full of hopeful promises to come. It seems apt that New Year’s eve sees the return of fireworks to Limerick as sparkle and spectacle are the only fitting end to a year when Limerick became sexy again.

Yet admist this expectation and prevailing vibrancy that has embraced our cities people, stands an institution that appears to want to drag Limerick back into the bleakest times in our recent history. A time where Limerick was ridiculed and a national stereotype. A time where the ‘values’ of the Catholic Church dominated leaving many excluded, rejected and ostracised. A time where deeply entrenched conservatism was forced upon Limerick’s usually dynamic people by its fading institutions. Continue reading “Stop the press?” →

There is lots of discussion of late of making Limerick a liveable city. Most of this dialogue focuses on the architecture of our streets to transform Limerick into a modern urban oasis on par with other forward thinking European cities. While the built environment plays an essential role in shaping our culture and the wellbeing of citizens, it is the attitude and beliefs of its people that make a city as liveable as it can be.  Something that struck me during the #liveableLimerick discourse was how much of this conversation was dominated and shaped by men. From media commentators, to consultant architects, to city councillors, to sports and comedy stars, an androcentric debate developed that very much mirrors the current state of our urban fabric.  A fabric that maintains a pervasiveness of sexism existing throughout our city. A sexism not usually seen by men, and some women, in our everyday lives because it is such a habitual way of being in Limerick. Continue reading “Where are the women in #liveableLimerick?” →

Last month I moved into a new apartment overlooking The Shannon and for the most part, living beside the river in Limerick is wonderful. There are early morning rowers, moonlit city tours by kayak, Sunday strollers feeding the swans and stunning river views completely unique to anywhere else on this island. On announcement to my friends and families that I was setting up home in an apartment close to Thomond Bridge I was met with cries of concerns. Would the rescue helicopter not wake me at night? How will I feel with the continual sirens and patrollers outside my bedroom window? How could I live so close to such a tragic place?

A quick review on river activities over the last few months makes it obvious to why my move would elicit such a response in so many Limerick people I encountered.

#BREAKING Body Discovered at River in #Limerick

#BREAKING Emergency services in #Limerick are at O’Callaghan’s Strand slipway following the discovery of a body

Suicide patrols on the double in Limerick after dispute

Limerick suicide patrol works on resolving bitter split

 Heroic volunteers respond to suicide in West Limerick

Over the last year Limerick has seen a proliferation of suicide prevention groups, alongside local news outlets that still persists with front page news coverage of suicide in the River Shannon. This is despite all evidence suggesting that ceasing reporting on suicide could significantly reduce suicide rates[1].

The emergence of various suicide prevention groups over the last few months has garnered much attention and praise within the Limerick community. Continue reading “Limerick, we still need to talk about suicide” →