Sculpture to mark famous visits

THE visits of a pope and a US president to Limerick and the victory of a great Irish athlete are to be commemorated by a piece of sculpture.

It will be sited at the old Greenpark racecourse where thousands gathered on three historic occasions — the visits of President John F Kennedy in 1963 and Pope John Paul II in 1979 along with John Treacy’s victory in the world cross championships, also in 1979.

The sculpture will be funded by Bord na gCon (Irish Greyhound Board) as part of the planning permission granted by Limerick City Council to build a super greyhound stadium at Greenpark.