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Solace Cafe to provide crucial mental health support in Limerick City

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Limerick Mental Health Association (LMHA) is set to open the Solace Cafe, aimed at providing crucial mental health support in Limerick City. Picture: Adrain Butler/Limerick Leader

Limerick Mental Health Association (LMHA) is set to open the Solace Cafe, aimed at providing crucial mental health support in Limerick City

Limerick Mental Health Association (LMHA) is set to open the Solace Cafe, aimed at providing crucial mental health support in Limerick City
The Quays Bar at Sarsfield Bridge is identified as the location for the Limerick Solace Cafe.

Following an extensive search of almost 40 sites, LMHA has revealed the new Solace Cafe will be located in the heart of Limerick City, repurposing the Quays Bar at Sarsfield Bridge.

Expected to operate Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, with extended hours until midnight from Thursday to Sunday, the opening hours have been identified by a HSE study as the most crucial in offering support to those in need.

Solace Cafes have opened in both Dublin and Cork as part of a two-year pilot programme, with Limerick joining as a third, if successful the long-term plan will see a 24-hour service being offered, providing continuous support to the community.


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The opening of the cafe could also see LMHA, now in its 22nd year of operation, relocate to the Pier Hotel enhancing the association’s reach but also offering a comprehensive approach to mental health.

The Solace Cafe in Cork is described as “a FREE out-of-hours mental health service offering peer support” in the community.

“Solace Café is a welcoming spot where you can gather your thoughts, draw on your strengths, and connect with others who’ve been through similar experiences. It is a comfortable, friendly, and safe environment, open to our over 18’s community. It is a unique space for community members seeking support during tough times. It is a comfortable, friendly, and safe environment,” reads the Cork Solace Cafe website.

Limerick’s Solace Cafe will feature a crisis resolution team, including a psychiatrist, psychologist, and occupational therapist, providing immediate clinical support which will work with the cafe’s role of prevention and recovery.

The cafe will provide a welcoming, non-clinical, safe environment in the style of a café. People who come to Solace Cafés will be able to learn about coping strategies and access a range of supports – including one-to-one, peer, psychosocial and recovery supports. When appropriate, Café staff will assist people by signposting them to other relevant mental health and well-being services locally.

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