PICS: Call to rename Limerick bridge after Terry Wogan
Businessman Proinsias McMahon said the city needs to commemorate the late broadcaster to ensure his name would be permanently remembered.
“As a city we now need to move and do something of this nature,” said Mr McMahon. “It is great that he was made a freeman of the city during his lifetime and honoured by the University of Limerick.
“I think renaming Shannon Bridge would ensure his name will be to the forefront of Limerick in a permanent and very visible way.”
Former Limerick mayor Jim Long, who hosted Wogan on his last official visit to Limerick in 2012 when he and his wife Helen were guests of honour at his mayoral ball — also backed renaming the bridge.
Mr Long said: “Naming a bridge after Terry would be most appropriate. Building bridges was central to his success as a broadcaster, as he developed lasting bonds with more than 8m people who tuned into him every morning on BBC.
“He also helped keep a very important bridge between our country and the UK at the time when the IRA were carrying out their bombing campaign in Britain. Terry was able to show his audience what the real position of Irish people at home and the UK was and that Irish people were as horrified as anybody else.”
"Limerick as I've said, has always been more than kind to me" - A recording of #TerryWogan at an event in #Limerick https://t.co/eMUjRYGWUk
— Limerick.ie (@Limerick_ie) February 1, 2016
Labour councillor Joe Leddin recalled the phone call he made as mayor of Limerick in 2007 inviting Wogan to accept the freedom of the city — a resolution having been unanimously passed earlier that day.
“There was a brief pause and I thought the line had gone down,” said Mr Leddin. “Then he expressed his utter delight and humbly asked why he was chosen for this, the highest honour Limerick can bestow. It was a great honour for me as mayor of Limerick to preside over the ceremony.”
Their comments came as hundreds of people signed books of condolence at Limerick City and County Council headquarters in Merchant’s Quay and at the council offices in Dooradoyle.
Nora Brennan of Gouldavoher was the first to sign the book at the Dooradoyle council office. “I originally come from Cheshire and met my husband Joe at a dance in Manchester,” she said. “I always listened to Terry on radio before we moved to Limerick.
Ah lads. RIP Terry Wogan. That's Limerick City
— The Blindboy Podcast (@bbboatclub) January 31, 2016
“My husband Joe used to say it was Terry who always made sure he got up in time for work. We moved back to Ireland 36 years ago and in recent years I watched him on TV. He was a great man and we were all shocked to hear of his passing on Sunday morning.”
Her daughter, Louise Butler said: “I heard on Live 95 local radio this morning about the effort to name the Shannon Bridge after him. He deserves it and it would be a great way to remember the man after doing so much to promote Limerick.
“He always made a point of expressing his love for his native city.”
