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Limerick groups hope to work together to restore The Sailor’s Home in Limerick City

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10 months ago

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The Sailor’s Home owners express sadness and regret following fire damage to the historic Limerick building. Photo: Randall Hodkinson

Sadness and regret expressed by The Sailor’s Home owners over the fire damage caused to the beloved Limerick building this past weekend

The Sailor's Home owners express sadness and regret following fire damage to the historic Limerick building. Photo: Randall Hodkinson
The Sailor’s Home owners express sadness and regret following fire damage to the historic Limerick building. Photo: Randall Hodkinson

The Sailor’s Home on O’Curry Street in Limerick City, a culturally rich part of the city’s heritage was damaged by fire in the early hours of Saturday, July 1.

Reacting to the news, the building owners, Shannon Foynes Port Company have expressed their deep regret for the damage caused to the building.

In a statement released over the weekend, the Shannon Foynes Port Company said, “We deeply regret the fire damage caused to the much-loved city building.”


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“This is a building with rich architectural heritage and part of the DNA of maritime activity in Limerick, dating back hundreds of years,” reads the statement from the group, “Our priority now is to make the building safe.  Once that is achieved, we will assess the extent of the damage.”

The company also thanked the fire services and Gardaí for their response, saying, “We wish to thank the fire services and An Garda Siochana for their response to the fire and their work through the night in getting the blaze under control and making the location safe.”

Following the fire, David O’Brien, CEO of Limerick Civic Trust – a group which initiates and undertakes a programme of projects for the general improvements of Limerick’s environment – said they were “saddened to hear of the tragic fire at the Sailor’s Home”.

The Limerick Civic Trust CEO said the group has sought to “restore and occupy” the building for many years, saying, “We now wish to work with all parties, the  Shannon Foynes Port Authority, their agents and others to bring this site back to its original glory.

“For forty years, we have restored old, dilapidated buildings and breathed new life into them.

“We would hope to work on the Sailor’s Home, and create a new civic and cultural space in the city which makes full use of the magnificent Shannon River.”

Limerick Civic Trust has created community spaces throughout the city, notably the People’s Museum which is at the forefront of community engagement.

“We would love to restore the Sailor’s Home, and make it a hive of activity once again,” said Mr O’Brien.

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Richard is a presenter, producer, songwriter and actor. He was named the Limerick Person of the Year (2011) and won an online award at the Metro Éireann Media and Multicultural Awards (2011) for promoting multi-culturalism online. Richard says that the ilovelimerick.com concept is very much a community driven project that aims to document life in Limerick. So, that in 20 years time people can look back and remember the events that were making the headlines.