Urban Orchard Project

As part of the new Creative Ireland’s DecarbonisingTogether Initiative, Limerick Civic Trust has launched its Urban Orchard Project. Twinned with Cracking Light Productions, a film and media production company and with the support of Limerick City and County Council, we hope to bring back orchards to Limerick. Working with Irish Seed Savers, we have planted 20 Irish heritage apples in the city and hope that they are the start of many. They have been planted by our great CE crews on King’s Island and Grove Island.

The aim of the programme is to reduce our carbon footprint and to offer our community an opportunity to engage with climate action in a fun and meaningful way

Limerick Civic Trust’s New Chair Focused on Ambitious Plans for greater community engagement in Limerick

Donal Creaton, a leading Limerick solicitor, has recently appointed Chair of Limerick Civic Trust wants the voluntary organisation to play a bigger role in improving Limerick’s heritage and environment for its community, its citizens, visitors and tourists.

Speaking about his aspirations for the new role, Donal said, “My focus for the year ahead will be on attracting more contributing members and patrons so we have the financial support to embark and complete some of the very long lists of restoration and heritage improvement projects we have earmarked. In addition, I will be overseeing the development of stronger working and mutually beneficial relationships with partners and public bodies as we demonstrate our competency in delivering civil community projects.”

“There are hugely exciting and ambitious plans for Limerick in train at the moment and I believe Limerick Civic Trust has a key role in supporting the delivery of these. Already the projects we undertake serve to enhance the image of our city amongst our citizens and to boost tourism, such as our street cleaning campaigns, open spaces and cemetery maintenance, Canal bank pathways, restoration of key sites, erection of historical plaques, walking tours and so forth. The Trust has the ambition and potential to breathe new life into many more areas of our city and county.”

“Our headquarters at Bishop’s Palace marks the start of the so called ‘Royal Mile’ – one of the oldest transverse city routes from Thomond Bridge, down Nicholas Street, over Baals Bridge and on to John’s Square. This route has the potential to become a significant tourism trail. We have earmarked a number of projects and sites that we are eager to restore along this route in conjunction with our partners – but funding must come first.”

“As a voluntary organisation we are hugely indebted to the support and resources we have received through our corporate members, patrons and organisations like HOMS, the JP McManus Foundation and our third level institutions – TUS, UL & Mary Immaculate College along with private organistaions such as Careline, Litho-circuits, Mincon, Roches Feeds….. Their support has been invaluable. However, we need to encourage more support from the business community of Limerick and beyond if we are to continue on the delivery of our commitment to protect and enhance Limerick’s unique character and fabric,” he concluded.

Limerick Civic Trust undertakes projects that make places more attractive, enjoyable and distinctive. Whether it’s improving or maintaining a graveyard, river walk, community garden or city street, the Trust’s work aims to promote civic pride. The Trust also undertakes conservation and preservation projects as well as Educational and Research work.

Following the appointment, David O’Brien CEO LCT welcomed Donal into his new role and he wished him every success for his term of office. David went on to say how much he was looking forward to working with Donal in what promises to be a very interesting phase in the life of Limerick Civic Trust particularly as we approach our 40th year while planning for our 50th

About Donal Creaton:

Having arrived in Limerick in 1975 I found myself living on Father Russell Road, Dooradoyle, Limerick. My father Michael brought our family to the City, he having been working here since 1973 . From an early age, I always had an interest in architecture and history. As a young child, I had notions of becoming an archaeologist day dreaming of digging in the hot desert sands of Egypt and elsewhere! In primary school I would be teased about ancient Crete and the Cretans, as they would ask if I still had family there.

Limerick in 1975 was very run down and sad in comparison to now, so much has improved and in my view the potential for Limerick to be a great City at the centre of a thriving region spreading across the commuter belts of Clare, Tipperary, North Kerry and the very beautiful county of Limerick itself, is so much greater than it has been for 100’s of years and the question now is how we harness this potential.

National school at St. Paul’s, Dooradoyle, being the new kid, I avoided many of the normal distractions and listened and learnt. Listening was and is such an important aspect in all our lives and now more than ever, given the distractions of our age.

CBS, Sexton Street was next, my mother Bridie taught in the national school section- Scoil Iosagain. History was my subject, this is what I loved and the most important lesson I learnt from my history subject – he who does not know his history is doomed to repeat it.

It was Cork that I went to study the law and started my apprenticeship (now called traineeship) as a Solicitor in 1987. I had gone to UCC to get a degree that might have led to a career abroad, but the law certainly took me over, when I began to study it.

My career in law started as a trainee Solicitor in the eminent firm of Holmes O’Malley Sexton at 5 Pery Square, Limerick where I was an apprenticed to the late Gordon Holmes.

From the very first day of my traineeship, Holmes O` Malley Sexton LLP has provided me with great excitement, knowledge, interest and the tremendous experience of meeting and engaging with people from every part of society. It was in a small basement office in Pery Sq. that I started as an apprentice Solicitor, along with Robert and Harry, who are still with me today. You can probably imagine the fun had by three young men at that age.

Having commenced my traineeship in 1987, I qualified as a Solicitor in 1990 and I reached the position of Partner in 2000. There was and is a great culture of dignity and respect in the firm in all aspects of dealing with colleagues and clients, this is something very important to me and which I try every day to emphasise.

The early duties of an apprentice Solicitor included walking around the streets delivering letters to other solicitors and professionals. You get to know the streets well and you see first-hand the ever changing and developing streets, architecture and public realm, over some thirty-five years now.

This city’s rich history has only been scratched on the surface, when realising the potential of this city, with its uniquely manageable centre in terms of size. This city should be the jewel in the crown of Irish cities with its medieval, Georgian, Victorian and modern faces and there is only one Limerick at the heart of it.

Working and living as a student, in New York City taught me so much about city living and what local communities mean to the beating heart of a city. Whilst working in Manhattan in a residential apartment building, I got to know the small community of people living and working in the neighbourhood, the postman delivering letters, the nurse on the way to Lenox Hill Hospital and the policeman as he passed by on his daily patrol all became known to me, it was always “hi there” in NY.

Certainly, this small neighbourhood feel, in one of the biggest cities in the world, was a revelation to me. The memories of my time in New York have influenced my views on community development and outlook. You learn a can-do attitude with no challenge that is insurmountable.

Right here we have all the ingredients to make Limerick the best city and county anywhere. We as citizens need to take ownership of our community, give to the city and county, the love, and respect it deserves. It is our love and respect that the streets need, tender treatment for its buildings, love of the people, respecting each other and the modern day diversity of cultures adding to and enhancing our city.

When travelling out of town, many find themselves defending Limerick although less so in more recent times. Instead we need to put that defensiveness into positive actions and contribute to a city that speaks for itself. Wouldn’t it be great to make those defensive words redundant and we all know that the people of Limerick have an indomitable power to do so, if they choose it.

Sport has always been a passion of mine and I believe that life would be so much less without sport. Having played hurling and football up to age 21 with Mungret GAA and soccer with Regional FC and subsequently with the Limerick Solicitors’ Inter Firm Bar Association Team, this Inter Firm Team was certainly one of the best soccer teams I ever played on, with excellent players and some half-decent solicitors.

This Inter Firm Team provided the backbone of Irish team for the Lawyers’ World Cup played on the UL Campus and neighbouring grounds, in Limerick in 1996 and in which I was honoured to participate. Nowadays, having hung up the boots I am curtailed to cycling and golf – enough to keep up the spirits.

It really is great to see the ongoing investment in our city and county that seeks to improve the street structure/landscape and to see older buildings being restored and repurposed by private and public investors alike. How we look after our public spaces and how we make them attractive and useable to all, is a challenge. This is where our citizens need to get involved and adopt a piece of street structure, beside their business or their home, and make sure it represents our Limerick community to its best.

The Residents and business owners around California in the 70’s, were doing this to address the very significant litter issue there, by adopting a piece of street/highway outside their business or home and so brought about a game changer. The solution to many problems is not always new engineering, but only a change in mind-set.

To conclude, Limerick Civic Trust`s goals are – conservation and preservation, improving our environment together with education and research. There is a fountain of knowledge in this city and a deep interest in preserving the heritage of Limerick, both city and county, bringing it to life for the benefit of all and presenting Limerick in the best possible way. Who is to say that Limerick should not be voted in the near future as the best place to live in Ireland?

This to my mind is something we should naturally work together to achieve and in doing so, we find ourselves living in the best place in Ireland and who knows North West Europe!

It has been a great honour to work and support the Limerick Civic Trust; I have been Vice Chairman for two years and can only commend Patricia Roberts on how she skilfully navigated an international pandemic while always keeping a smile and a soft touch on the tiller. As Chairman of Limerick Civic Trust, it is my aspiration that we find ourselves once again leading the way in harnessing the love and pride that many of our citizens feel for this city and county.

Donal is a former past President of Limerick Solicitors’ Bar Association 2011/ 2012 and a former Board of Management Member of Scoil An Spioraid Naoimh, Roxborough. Donal is married to Mary, and they have two children Hugh and Ruth.

Halloween Spooktacular Tours!

FRIDAY 28TH – MONDAY 31ST OCTOBER @ 1PM & 4PM

A tour of the People’s Museum of Limerick, with a Halloween twist, and some sweet treats for after your visit.

Take in some of the scarier stories about the house, and get strapped in for some moderate frights!!

Tours take between 45 minutes to an hour, and are appropriate for anyone over the age of 8 years old.

Tickets are €10

Contact william@limerickcivictrust.ie for more details

Ladies’ Business Lunch 2021

Limerick Civic Trust’s 2021 Ladies’ Business Lunch, which will take place at One Pery Square Hotel on Friday 24th September. The Ladies Lunch is one of our major annual fundraisers and we are seeking your valued support for this year’s event.

We are delighted to announce Virginia Teehan as our guest speaker for our 2021 Ladies’ Business Lunch. Virginia is a cultural leader with significant experience in the fields of heritage protection & interpretation with a wealth of executive and non-executive experience across museums and galleries & universities. She is the current Chief Executive Officer of The Heritage Council & her impressive work history includes Limerick’s own Hunt Museum.

The Civic Trust has no commercial income so we are dependent on successful fundraising events such as our Ladies’ Lunch for continued existence. For 2021, we have planned a number of projects for Limerick, with our biggest project the continued development of the Wild Geese Museum in St. Munchin’s Church.

By supporting the event, you help to maintain the employment of up to seventy persons who work on environmental, restoration and other projects that contribute to the positive improvement of Limerick. Your support enables you to share in our projects and create employment opportunities while promoting and improving Limerick’s built heritage.
On behalf of Limerick Civic Trust, I thank you for your valued support in the past and hope that you will join us on 24th September. We are well aware of the demands on business people to support charitable causes, but would greatly appreciate an early positive response from you.
2020 was a tough year for all of us, and like most charities, our fundraising efforts were drastically affected by the Covid pandemic. It would mean so much to us if you could support our our Ladies Lunch in whatever way you can.

Payments can be made by cheque to Limerick Civic Trust, or through the donations page on our website linked here. For bank transfer, please contact us for bank details.

Feel free to get in contact with us for more information on how to show your support, you can email info@limerickcivictrust.ie or call us on 061 313 399. This year the contact in the Civic Trust is Meadhbh Nolan, who will be assisted by Frederica Clohessy. Either Meadhbh or Frederica would be delighted to hear from you.

With your support, we hope to make our 2021 Ladies’ Business Lunch a successful and enjoyable event.

Opening of the new Wild Geese Museum!

The Limerick Wild Geese Museum was officially launched as part of the 2021 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival on 9th July.

The Mayor of Limerick City & County, Cllr Daniel Butler at his first official event welcomed the guests and visitors to the Wild Geese Museum in the old St Munchin’s church (King’s Island) on Friday evening to mark the occasion of its official opening.

A joint project by the Limerick Civic Trust, the Limerick Museum and the Consular Agency of France in Limerick (French Embassy) this new museum celebrates the city’s rich Wild Geese heritage by giving an overview of the history of those who left Ireland over the centuries and went on to fight in foreign armies across Europe and the world.

The term Wild Geese was originally coined to refer more specifically to the 14,000 Jacobite soldiers and their families who left Limerick, led by Patrick Sarsfield, following the signing of the Treaty in 1691. The majority of them, including Sarsfield, ended up joining the French army of king Louis XIV. Many of them, and their descendants, settled and prospered in France (a significant number of them, known as the ‘wine geese’, in the Bordeaux engaging in wine production) greatly contributing to strengthening the links between France and Ireland.

The museum tells their story and features a wide range of objects from the collections of the Limerick Museum which had never been put on display before.

Opening Times:

  • Monday 10-4
  • Tuesday 10-4
  • Wednesday 10-4
  • Thursday 10-4
  • Friday 10-4
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Limerick in ISL (Irish Sign Language)

As part of the Limerick St. Patrick’s Day festival, Limerick Civic Trust, in conjunction with Failte Ireland, organised two feel-good videos to spread a positive message for St. Patrick’s Day and to promote Limerick and her people.

The first video was ‘Love Limerick’, which featured a collage of much-loved faces and celebrities who all shared a message of joy and love from Limerick. The second was this video from the students of the Mid West School for the Deaf, who stole our hearts with their St. Patrick’s Day message!

Given its’ small size, the entire school was able to take part in wishing the world a Happy St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Sign Language. Despite a very busy first week back to school, their dedicated teachers arranged for the students to come to school in green clothes, with flags and banners galore! The students even took the time to create green hearts to symbolize virtual hugs, which they waved proudly (alongside a few Limerick flags) at the end of the video. This video may be short in length but it is certainly packed with positivity and hope!

‘Love Limerick’ – St. Patrick’s Day video released by Limerick Civic Trust

A fantastic, diverse line-up of well-known personalities, including actor Dominic West, and actor/writer Malachy McCourt feature in a new video just released by Limerick Civic Trust to mark St. Patrick’s Festival). The St. Patrick’s Festival ‘Love Limerick’ video captures faces and voices strongly associated with Limerick, including Sean-Nós musician Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, Richard Lynch of ilovelimerick.com, musician Emma Langford, President of UL Kerstin Mey and owners of ‘Dolans’ Live Music Venue and Bar’ Mick and Valerie Dolan.

The great affection for Limerick is a theme running throughout the video where these well-known people share their messages of hope and support as they look forward to a better time when everyone can visit again and enjoy those essential Limerick experiences – like a gig in Dolans, a pint or a session in some of the atmospheric Limerick pubs like Nancy Blakes or Mother Macs or seeing the outline of an iconic castle like King John’s Castle or Glin Castle against the skyline.

LCCC Funding for 2021 Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival

Following a joint-application for funding to the Limerick City and County Council’s Festivals and Events Grant Scheme, the Consular Agency of France in Limerick and the Limerick Civic Trust, who are the co-organisers of Limerick’s new annual Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival, were awarded €10,000 by the Council to turn the 2021 festival’s edition into a three-day event.

The Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival was launched in July 2019 by the City and County Council and the Consular Agency of France in Limerick as an annual commemoration of the Flight of the Wild Geese and a celebration of the longstanding friendship between France and Ireland. The Limerick Civic Trust and the Consular Agency of France decided to join forces this year to co-organise all future editions. This year’s second edition had to be cancelled and replaced by a symbolic ceremony due to the coronavirus pandemic but the organisers have big plans for the 2021 edition.

Commenting on the successful application for funding, the Honorary Consul of France, Dr Loïc Guyon, said ‘next year’s edition of the Limerick Bastille Day Wild Geese Festival will mark the 330th anniversary of the Flight of the Wild Geese and, with the Limerick Civic Trust and our partners, we are putting together an exciting programme of commemoration, celebration and entertainment which will place Limerick on the map of Ireland’s summer festivals and should attract thousands of local and international visitors to the city’.

Mr Thomas Wallace O’Donnell, Chairperson of the Limerick Civic Trust, added ‘Following the ceremony this year, which was one of the very few events hosted after lockdown, I am much looking forward to an enhanced and developed programme and event in 2021. The support of Limerick City and County Council and the French Honorary Consul is greatly appreciated and we look forward to working with those key partners and others in delivering next year’s festival.’

Bridge Tournament Fundraiser

We are delighted to invite you to take part in an entirely online Bridge Tournament Fundraiser. It will take place on Thursday 23rd July, at 11am. Tickets are 12.50e per person. Please email caroline@limerickcivictrust.ie for more information or to book.

All proceeds will be shared between Limerick Civic Trust and Dublin Civic Trust; thank you for supporting the work that we do.

Annual Ladies Lunch Fundraiser

We are delighted to invite you to this year’s Annual Ladies Lunch!

Adapting to the COVID-19 restrictions, this year’s lunch will take place in the comfort of your own home.

Each participant will receive a beautiful presentation box filled with a gorgeous selection of Limerick-sourced food for a cold-plate style lunch for one. The ingredients have been carefully selected and curated by the head chef in No. 1 Pery Square Boutique Georgian Hotel, Keith Piggott. This is professionally paired with an exquisite half-bottle of wine. All this is delivered to your door on the morning of the event.

At 1pm, ladies will join together on Zoom for a hosted chat, and a wonderful talk from Bibi Baskin on her story. Bibi will talk about how she made her dreams come true from her prestigious job as a TV presenter in RTE, her move to London to work with the BBC and ITV, and then a move to India which brought unexpected change on many levels. The informal chat of about thirty minutes will also include a question and answer session.

This promises to be a really fantastic afternoon, and we hope you join in. A ticket to this would make a wonderful gift for one of the women in your life! All proceeds raised will go to supporting the work that Limerick Civic Trust does in maintaining and restoring the historic city in Limerick. Thank you so much for helping us carry on with this work in these difficult times! Any ticket you buy will be helping us bridge the gap in our income caused by COVID-19, and is very much appreciated.

Email caroline@limerickcivictrust.ie with any queries or to book.