The Goad fire insurance plans are unique primary source materials capturing what is, in many cases, otherwise undocumented information about buildings, land use and urban design. The 1897 plan of Limerick was originally produced to aid insurance companies in assessing fire risks. The building footprints, their use (commercial, residential, educational, etc.), the number of floors…
On the 19 December 2015 the Savoy Hotel celebrates 80 years of the Savoy name in Limerick. On the 15 December 2015 the site was discussed on Limerick’s Live 95FM‘s Today Show, with Ronan Branningan, manager of the Savoy Hotel, Tom English, former manager of the Savoy Theatre (1954-1962) and Sharon Slater, historian. Image via…
Before coloured photographs became accessible to all images were often colourised to make them more vibrant. It was a popular technique in the Edwardian period in both private images and commercial images as below. Cara Johnston: Photographs were colored in one of two ways: hand tinting or hand coloring refers to a lightly painted image…
Mungret College was situated 3 miles (4.8 km) west of Limerick city centre it was an all male Jesuit apostolic school and a lay secondary school from 1882 until 1974. The school was founded by Fr. William Ronan who was appointed rector of the Sacred Heart Church and Crescent College in 1872, before transferring to…
In 1648 this lintel according to Eithne Deloughry O’Byrne was carved for the first Jesuit Church in Limerick. The Jesuits arrived in Limerick in 1591 and in 1642 they had a chapel in Castle Lane, another stone from this church is located on the corner of corner of the Crescent and Newnham Street. The IHS…
In 1898 Limerick Corporation was considered a Nationalist Corporation and so it was no surprise when Councillor Kivelihan proposed a resolution to commemorate 1798 by the renaming of key streets in the city centre, The resolution was unanimously passed and the following streets were identified for renaming though only one of the decisions were would…
The following report comes via the Sydney Chronicle – 4 September 1847 CALAMITOUS FIRE. DESTRUCTION OF THE LIMERICK BRUSH FACTORY. “Between eleven and twelve o’clock on Friday night the citizens of Limerick were alarmed by the cry of “fire” from the parish watch of St. Michael, immediately followed by the tolling of the bell of…
In 1815 Hannah Villiers by virtue of her will founded a school for Protestant children on Henry Street. She also funded the Villiers Alms Houses, next to St Munchin’s Church, Kings Island. The following are the results achieved by students in 1918, if you click on each girls’ name you will see where they were…
History of Monaleen Castletroy District By D. Stewart (1955) Monaleen In the year 968 Mahon O’Brien, a Limerick Chieftain, successfully defeated Ivar, Norse King of Limerick, in a terrible battle at Sologhead and a few years later Ivar and two of his sons were attacked and killed at Iniscathy. The remnants of the Norsemen then…
These images of the construction of Shannon Bridge were kindly donated to Limerick’s Life by Ray O’Brien. They were taken in 1986 and 1987 from various locations including the penthouse of St. Munchin’s House, which was demolished to make way for RiverPoint. Calls for a new bridge on the Shannon began in earnest 1974, it…
It seems strange today to imagine a windmill in Limerick city, even though Windmill Street , which runs from Henry Street to the Dock Road, is a constant reminder. Lancelot Hill, brother-in-law to Edmund Sexton Pery, built the windmill in the late eighteenth century. Lancelot died in 1810 and the Chronicle stated of his death…
The following are places called Limerick throughout the world, all of which were named after Limerick, Ireland. Many thanks to Kieran Kerr for additional place names. Towns & Cities, Townships, lakes & Mountains Australia Limerick, New South Wales, Australia Limerick Hill, Rocklea, Western Australia, Australia Canada Limerick, New Brunswick, Canada Limerick, Nova Scotia, Canada Limerick…
The work began on the Model School in Limerick in 1853, and the official opening took place in 1855. The plaque over front door reads: Limerick Model National School 1853. The school is located on O’Connell Avenue in Limerick City. The building consisted of four schools at the time: an Infant School, the Girls’ School,…
Below is an image from about 1900 of the People’s Park, from the Lawrence Collection which we have colourised to give a new lease of life. The photograph is taken from the Lord Edward Street side of the park and is no longer viewable from this aspect due to the controversial apartments built in the…
New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 18, 23 August 1889 reissue of a report from Dublin Nation, June 22 1889: On last Friday night some persons entered Knockea chapel through a window, proceeded to the gallery, cut away the seat and footrail of the pew of a parishioner named Michael Ryan, and removed the disjointed…