Limerick gears up for Nighttime Economy Advisor

The Limerick Nighttime Economy Advisor position, advertised in May 2023, follows the city’s selection as one of nine pilot locations for the scheme aimed at renewing nightlife across parts of the country.

Limerick City is set to appoint a Nighttime Economy Advisor as part of a national pilot scheme aimed at improving the evening and late-night offerings in the city

Limerick City is gearing up for the appointment of a Nighttime Economy Advisor which will mark a step in the city’s effort to improve what’s on offer in the city during the evenings and night-time.

The position, advertised in May 2023, follows the city’s selection as one of nine pilot locations for the scheme aimed at renewing nightlife across parts of the country.

The selection process for the position in Limerick is nearing completion, with the successful candidate expected to assume their role soon, and Cllr Olivia O’Sullivan said in a video posted to social media that she is “really looking forward to this work getting underway”.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

Cllr O’Sullivan said the wait is on for the appointment due to the interview and selection process, she added, “The relevant person is supposed to be in situ in the coming weeks and the work can’t happen soon enough as far as I’m concerned, I was involved in the request for a nighttime economy strategy for Limerick before this.”

She said, “It’s something that’s been identified, not just by me, but if you talk to a lot of people in the industry, and when we talk about nighttime, we talk about after 6 pm.”

The Limerick City North Councillor explained the nighttime economy would be looked at differently as many things change in the city between 6pm to 6am, from people behaving differently down to traffic movements.

“What we have to remember is that there’s more than nightlife as well,” said Cllr O’Sullivan, adding, “It includes people going to night courses and late gyms, and I guess hopefully we will see more late openings.”

She continued, “I would love to see late openings of galleries and museums and studios, and obviously theatre.”

The Fine Gael Councillor noted that events such as concerts would fall under the night-time economy “but there is a lot more to it and there’s a huge amount of work to be done to try and promote the current nighttime economy”.

She added, “To see what we can do to support it better, and then to try and innovate so we might see a bit more.

“Obviously lighting plays a huge part in the nighttime economy from the public realm; perspective, safety, lighting, all those things. Policing obviously has a huge role in the nighttime economy.”

With a strategy in place and a dedicated leader for the role, it is hoped that Limerick will reach its full potential for the night-time economy which will drive growth in the city for years to come.

Read more about the Nighttime Economy Advisor
Find Limerick Events