Exciting times lie ahead for trio leading Limerick renewal
A city which will take on a complete new appearance with retail plazas and a University of Limerick campus.
Helen O’Donnell is chairman (she insists on being called chairman) of the Limerick City Business Association which has now joined forces with Limerick Chamber of Commerce; Jackie Costello is a leading publican and Eleanor Purcell runs one of the oldest tobacconists in the country, proudly carrying on the family tradition in ‘the nicotine delivery business’
Helen O’Donnell runs the restaurant at the Hunt Museum and heads the city traders group.
Helen, wife of former minister for the Gaeltacht, Tom O’Donnell, said: “Our mission as a business association is to fill every vacant business space in the city centre and to get jobs into the city centre. The Hanging Gardens site in Henry Street (in Nama), which was part of the old GPO, has huge potential and could give up to 600 high tech jobs for people who would prefer to work in a city centre environment, rather than in an industrial estate in the suburbs.
“The plans by UL are very exciting. The city centre has suffered a lot through the growth of suburban shopping centres over the years. We have two main planks regarding objectives. We want to retain the existing shop keepers who have been in the city centre for generations. That is very important to retain the unique city centre fabric, and that they get whatever incentives they need to stay. We also need new businesses, a tax break for them, and the city living initiative to encourage people live in Georgian Limerick. We need to have people living and working in the city and that’s our mission.”
Helen said the city centre needs international brand retail outlets, many of which have moved to suburban shopping malls.
“We have to get those back in and have them side by side with the indigenous small shops which have been part of Limerick city for generations. We have been chosen as a pilot city by Retail Excellence Ireland and we had 24 business people come and look last week at what is on offer and they all have the potential to open prestigious outlets here.
“Some are already actively looking at units. The UL campus will make a huge change. As well as undergraduates it will have mature students, lecturers, admin staff. This will create a totally new environment in the city and a give it a whole new energy.”
Helen heads a city centre tidy towns group who go out twice a week on clean up missions.
“We haven’t enough active communities living in the city centre to do the kind of work Tidy Towns groups do in towns and villages. Twice a week on Wednesday evenings and on Sunday mornings we meet and spend one to two hours physically cleaning up places.
“A lot of the time it is private property which the city council is not responsible for. We get help from the council and the Civic Trust with regards to equipment and materials. We remove grass which may be emerging on the steps of a closed building; we take away bags of rubbish and Dulux have given us a lot of paint.
“The difference is now very apparent. We have had a hand in giving a whole new appearance to many prominent buildings in the city and we have a core group of about 15. We are planning a huge effort right through the city before the upcoming Heineken Cup game against Toulouse. We want to have the city in pristine order.”
Eleanor Purcell presides over Cahill’s in Wickham Street.
Under anti-smoking legislation, she can still display all kinds of tobacco products for sale.
The business dates back to the 1860s and her father, Jim Purcell, who started out as an apprentice making snuff, took it over from the Cahill family 95 years ago.
The shop hasn’t changed much and today she offers anything from Cohiba Cuban cigars costing €50 each to an ounce of snuff.
“I have been running the business for the past 34 years. There are only four such businesses in the country. Down the years we have had huge loyalty from the people of Limerick. People who don’t even smoke drop in and are fascinated to find it the exact same as when they came in as children with their fathers to buy pipe tobacco, snuff, or cigarettes.
“But small businesses like ours need some kind of break to keep going. I am not asking for any handout, but for efforts to be made to encourage people to come back into the city centre.
“Due to the trade embargo in the US with Cuba, we get a lot of Americans calling for Cuban cigars when they are holidaying in the area. Because of our almost unique service Cahills is a tourism asset to Limerick.”
The premises still houses the old disused oven used for making snuff, which is now imported from the UK. Eleanor would like to see Cahills added to Limerick’s more publicised tourism landmarks and would welcome visitors, smokers and non-smokers.
“The shop is probably one of the most authentic shop interiors in Ireland. The old original mahogany counter is still there. The doors have been there since 1870, the same doors you come in and go out, have been swinging for all those years. Tobacco is a declining market, but for people who like to smoke a pipe or smoke a nice cigar it is still one of the greater pleasures in life.”
Jackie Costello and her son Richard, a former Irish rugby international, have been running the Locke Bar, George’s Quay, near the courthouse for the past 25 years.
The original bar dates back over 200 years and they have added to it with the acquisition of adjoining premises.
The bar/resaurant area is complemented by an upstairs theatre, The Loft which can seat an audience of 70 for small pub shows.
Jackie, who has 14 grandchildren said: “It was a quaint tiny place when we moved in and it has developed since then, but we have retained the old atmosphere. It has taken us many years to get to this stage and it’s fantastic to be here and it is a happy place.”
Jackie and Richard have put a huge investment, personal and financial, into The Locke.
With new horizons ahead for that part of the city, they have embarked on a major refurbishment which will be completed shortly.
“We are intent on retaining the character and the original look. We like to keep that old look,” said Jackie.
The Opera Centre site now owned by the city council, is the likely location for the new UL city centre campus and it is located only 150m from The Locke.
“It will mean a lot for us and to the whole city centre. The new joint City/County Council headquarters is near us at Merchant’s Quay which is very good as well. Everything around this area is very positive and I think Limerick has made great strides in recent years; people are very positive and things are going from better to better. People are working very hard in the city”
She’s at The Locke every morning at around 9am to meet with the chefs and the bar staff and plan the day ahead.
Jacke said: “For the future I am very optimistic. There is a great sense of positivity about the place.”
Jackie said The Locke works very well in the Limerick’s tourism fit.
Jackie said: “There will always be people in city hotels looking for diversion at night and we have a real authentic Irish pub with good food and entertainment every night. There are other pubs like Nancy Blakes nearby and people like to wander from pub to pub. The theatre, The Loft, is another aspect of the business which brings us quite a few people. We have demand for a theatre of its size which can cater for 60 or 70. Mike Finn and many other well known theatrical figures perform here. For a small theatre we do quite well.”
Jackie has faced many great challenges. Her husband Tony, a dentist, died young leaving her with three sons aged 11, 10 and seven.
Jackie said: “The boys all went on to qualify in their different spheres and we got this place The Locke and stayed with it. I am always prepared to face a challenge. It gives you impetus, it gives you focus and now we are into a new challenge with the refurbishment of The Locke.”
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