Editorial
2013 was a year of mixed blessings for Limerick but it began with news that Limerick and the rest of the Mid West had been waiting or – the granting of independence to Shannon airport.
The freeing of the airport from the control of the Dublin Airport Authority was the beginning of a year of good news for the airport and a year which saw the return of Ryanair to the facility which was once know as “Ryanair Country”.
In October, Ryanair came back with a bang announcing eight new routes from Shannon and increased frequency on existing routes. Aer Lingus rowed in in November with a new twice-weekly service to Malaga and in December there was a further announcement that Aer Lingus Regional is to expand, creating 20 new jobs and bringing 100,000 additional passengers to Shannon.
In February, there was the grim news that 130 women who joined the abortion trail to Britain had given Limerick addresses. In the same month the extent of the pain and misery doled out to the Magdalene laundry women was revealed when it emerged that 773 Limerick women had been incarcerated.
There was good news for March as the tourism season began to show promise which later materialised and in April, Limerick was promised its first secondary school Autism unit which didn’t materialise.
Justice featured large in 2013, with a book of evidence being served in the case of the murder of Roy Collins in April and no fewer than three murder trials coming before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin in June and at the same time, there was a fourth murder trial before the Central Criminal court.
The homeless situation reached crisis point in October when Novas, the Limerick initiative had to turn families away.
There was disappointment when rumours of Irish Water bringing jobs to the city didn’t bear fruit, but the Regeneron announcement last week was one of the best pieces of news the city had all year.
And as we move into 2014, the year when Limerick bears the proud title of City of Culture, we have to hope the only way is up.
