THE call has gone out from councillors to use the former tourist office at Arthur’s Quay as a multi-functional space that includes community and co-working space for Limerick residents and workers.
Refurbishment is currently underway at the city centre site to house the new Welcome to Limerick office. However, Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara believes Limerick Council could do so much more with the building.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to in advance of this motion has been really positive about the Mayor’s plans to turn the former tourist office at Arthur’s Quay Park into a Welcome to Limerick office and I’m of the same opinion,” Cllr Hickey-O’Mara told December’s Metropolitan District meeting.
“We really need a central space to welcome people to our amazing city and you couldn’t ask for a better location than this one. This building has long been a space synonymous with welcoming people, most recently as Chez le Fab, a community and arts café run by the late Lesley-Anne Liddane, who created a true community space for the city centre.”
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Cllr Hickey-O’Mara said that “not only did Lesley-Anne create a space that welcomed everyone, she also acted as an incredible advocate for the city’s arts workers, myself included. I so fondly remember Chez le Fab as a hive of creativity with Lesley-Anne spearheading so many events from music gigs to poetry nights to rehearsed readings and fundraisers.”
“So many of my generation of Limerick artists felt so supported by Lesley-Anne and her team and she personally helped me and my colleagues to get our productions off the ground by giving us a space to work.”
Praising the late Ms Liddane, he said that “trusting a bunch of 20-odd-year-olds and standing behind them 100 per cent in their endeavours meant the world to us. There’s nothing like being an artist struggling to get by and having someone like Lesley-Anne supporting you. I know that there are so many people in Limerick who were similarly supported by this space and who owe Lesley-Anne so much.”
The City North representative went on to highlight how community co-working spaces are “normalised” in the UK.
“I was particularly inspired by Common Ground, a social co-work and community arts space in the centre of Oxford which was choc-a-block full of workers and had such a friendly, welcoming energy. It just got me thinking about Chez le Fab and Lesley-Anne and how Limerick had something similar and has the capacity to have something like this again.
“I think that spaces built for people rather than for profit, spaces that foster connection and help build a sense of community in the heart of Limerick are more needed now than ever, especially with the loss of one of the few spaces akin to Chez le Fab, Crew Brewery, closing down.”
‘A fitting tribute’
The Soc Dems councillor said that while a Welcome to Limerick office is “a great idea”, “a space like this can also offer so much more to those who are already living in the city centre”.
“Walking into an active, creative, and community-focused space will give visitors such a strong sense of what really makes our city tick – the people. It’d also be such a fitting tribute to Lesley-Anne and the incredible work that she did to foster a warm and welcoming atmosphere in the much missed Chez le Fab.
“I hope that the Mayor will consider this motion as renovations continue.”
Cllr Elisa O’Donovan (SD) seconded the motion and pointed out to the Council executive that the former Arthur’s Quay tourist office was always used as a multi-functional space.
“I think it would be very much in the spirit of Lesley-Anne if we were to have that sort of cultural community space. It is very welcome to see it being refurbished and I also think it would be really fitting in Lesley-Anne’s memory as well for it to be used as a type of drop in space,” Cllr O’Donovan said.
Cross-party support
Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely also felt the city centre site had great potential to be used for more than just office space. She asked the Council to keep “an open mind” when considering its future use.
Cllr Dan McSweeney (FG) added his full support the motion, deeming it important that the local authority get this building back into use.
In response to Cllr Hickey-O’Mara’s proposal, Jayne Leahy, head of the Council’s Property Services Department, explained that this building is of significant importance architecturally and its preservation is prioritised for investment. In 2025, a total of €150,000 in mayoral funding was allocated to commence essential works.
Further mayoral funding will be advanced in 2026 to continue for repair and refurbishment efforts to bring the building back into use.
“In relation to its future use, while the Welcome to Limerick office may be located in this building, we are keeping an open mind regarding other potential uses that will benefit the city centre,” Ms Leahy said.
“It should be remembered though that the space is limited and LCCC has many other buildings in the city centre – for example the recently repaired 58 O’Connell Street, ENGINE, Istabraq Hall, and others which might be better suited for community use, and for co-working, especially ENGINE, and the yet to be developed design and fashion hubs on Nicholas Street/Mary Street.”
Cllr Hickey-O’Mara was not enamoured with the Council’s response.
“It was mostly just talking about, ‘we’re doing up the building’. Like, of course, you are! It’s being renovated,” he hit out.
“And also saying, ‘the space is limited’. Anybody who was ever in there knows that space can be used for everything, and you can fit an awful lot of people because it is in a two-part shape. It can work really well. I know it can, because Lesley-Anne did this before. I really hope that it’s taken seriously by the powers that be.”
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.