PLANS are afoot to enhance people’s experience of living, working, or visiting Limerick City.
That’s what councillors were told during a recent Metropolitan District meeting, as they welcomed a report on public realm upgrades for Cruises Street, the Market Quarter including High Street and Mungret Street, Opera Square, and O’Connell Street.
The project, a three to four-year build, is part funded under the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), with an estimated cost of €24.7million. A total of €11.6m has been secured from URDF, €80,000 from development contributions, and €59,000 via the 2026 Mayoral Fund for laneway improvements. Match funding, the Council revealed, is being sought to deliver the latter phases of the scheme.
According to Council Senior Executive Engineer Michael Foley, an integrated design team was appointed in December 2025 and detailed design commenced in January 2026. The local authority is currently planning site investigation and archaeological works to be carried out in Q3 of this year.
“Construction is predicted to commence on Cruises Street in January 2027. The first works contract will include Cruises Street and adjacent streets as a priority, followed by and may include, if resources and programme allow, works being carried out in Cornmarket Row and Carr Street simultaneously,” Mr Foley explained.
The executive engineer said that “the extent of the works will be planned around the approach to and duration of the Ryder Cup, with a complete demobilisation from the city as required for that”.
Niall Montgomery and Partners (NMP) are the project’s urban design architects, and have been working with the Council through the detailed design process since January.
Part of their plans for the city centre include a traders canopy to the Mungret Court side of the Milk Market, as well as a second canopy on Cruises Street.
‘A strong focal point’
“We are focusing on the design of a canopy at Quimper Square, serving as a key nodal point within the street network. It establishes a strong focal point for arrivals to Cruise Street from O’Connell Street, William Street, Denmark Street, and down from Chapel Lane,” said Council Executive Architect Jane Earley.
“One of NMP’s design concepts draws inspiration from the Victorian bandstand, traditionally found in public spaces across Ireland. These structures historically provided shelter from the elements, while serving as a setting for community gatherings and musical performances.”
NMP have also developed a contemporary sculptural form that functions both as a practical shelter and visual focal point within the streetscape. One of the proposed materials currently is Corten steel, chosen for its durability and weathering qualities.
“A perforated finish will allow light to filter through the structure,” Ms Earley commented. “This patterning is inspired from the intricate qualities of Limerick Lace. A central light will further draw attention to the underside of the roof.”
‘Dramatically improve the visual’
The Council is also looking at the inclusion of awnings to shop fronts, the delivery of which would require a possible local authority funding scheme for shop front facades upgrades.
“Cork City Council have recently launched a similar initiative for Patrick Street. Doing this will create a cohesive aesthetic to the street, and will dramatically improve the visual,” the meeting heard.
Other Market Quarter projects include the possible installation of interventions on both Market Alley and Back Lane beside Mother Macs. Some of the key challenges on Market Alley, the Council stated, are anti-social behaviour, a sense the area can be unwelcoming, as well as lack of vibrancy, bins, and refuge.
Some of the works proposed include the installation of bin stores, planters, and catenary lighting. On Back Lane, there was talk of implementing pedestrianisation to create a shared surface across the street. Retractable bollards would also be installed at both ends of the street.
Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely welcomed the proposed awnings on Cruises Street, but pointed out that they don’t currently have a budget for them. She also raised concerns about the paving on pedestrian streets in the city centre.
“It rocks, it retains water, it needs a lot of maintenance. It’s difficult to clean. We see a lot of trips, slips, and falls regarding it, specifically on Little Catherine Street. So I would be asking you to just keep that in mind,” she advised.
Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey-O’Mara felt the drawing of the proposed canopy on Cruises Street looked “absolutely beautiful” and hoped the people of Limerick will get to see it someday.
‘Black with filth’
Fianna Fáil councillor Fergus Kilcoyne suggested that the Council put down paving that it is “golden brown” and won’t show up as much dirt. He also asked for new canopies on Lower Mallow Street as part of the scheme, claiming the three currently in situ are “black with filth”.
Cllr Maria Donoghue saw this latest initiative as a positive step forward for the city, one that is already making real inroads. She also took the view that the build-up of dirt below ground is the real issue with paving in the city centre.
“The surface is one thing around maintenance, but what’s built up below ground is the other. If you don’t have granular enough surfaces, you will have paving popping out when it’s put under pressure from heavy loads from turning vehicles and so on,” she said.
With Limerick’s wet climate, Cllr Donoghue considered awnings a great idea for local businesses facing onto O’Connell Street.
“One thing we do have is rain, and I think it’s very hard to compete with the shopping centre when it’s lashing rain. So if something could be done to develop a fund or some sort of a grant for awnings – it’s one thing putting a canopy into the middle of Cruises Street, but if nobody’s going there, it’s not going to do much,” she insisted.
Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon (FF) expressed his delight to see such a development taking place throughout the inner city. However, he too had concerns about paving on the streets.
“I raised this years ago about Little Catherine Street, because it was like an ice rink when it rained,” he told the meeting.
“Why did we put down paving that people will slip on and cause injury to themselves and cause claims against the local authority?”
Cllr O’Hanlon said that “we shouldn’t be putting down paving if it’s going to cause accidents, and, secondly, if we can’t maintain it properly, that has to be a criteria for any paving. I would also like to raise that we have lights in Upper William Street but very few of the bulbs are working. If we are going to put these lights up, we have to maintain them, and if we can’t maintain them, we need to take them down.”
A public consultation on the Cruises Street plans opened this past Tuesday (June 2) and will run for a two-week period.
– Local Democracy Reporting Scheme