Former garda station to become Limerick Museum of Fashion and design incubator
Fashion designer Sybil Connolly seated in a reception room at her fashion house, 71 Merrion Square in Dublin. Picture: Terry Fincher/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
A former garda station in Limerick is set to become home to a new fashion museum.
The station on Mary Street in the city centre will be converted into the Limerick Museum of Fashion.
Limerick mayor John Moran announced the museum will permanently house the Limerick Lace and Sybil Connolly Collections.
The two collections are currently showcased only on a temporary or occasional basis by the Limerick Museum and the Hunt Gallery.
Once construction is complete at the King’s Island site, the building will also include a ‘fashion incubator,’ giving Limerick and the region’s brightest fashion design talent a space to collaborate, develop their businesses, and showcase their creations.
The mayor earmarked the abandoned garda barracks site for a fashion incubator in the Mayoral Programme last year.
Since then, work has begun to make the site safe after years of vacancy.
Much of the existing structure – including the upper floors – will have to be removed as part of the plan to transform the site into a modern building suitable for a world-class museum and business incubator, but it will be rebuilt to respect the building's status as a protected structure.
A steering committee made up of Celia Holman Lee, Matthew Potter, Mike Fitzpatrick, Teresa Crowley, and Nina Means will help drive the project.
John Moran said: "I'm thrilled to be able to announce a significant step towards actioning that ambition for Limerick into a reality. Giving permanent homes to Limerick Lace and the Sybil Connolly Collection will honour our creative legacy, as well as setting the stage for a vibrant future.
"This is also another key project that feeds into our broader desire to provide better amenities and public realm, better serving all the community across King's Island. This is a real opportunity for us to stitch another thread into the fabric a modern, confident and thriving Limerick city centre."
Work is expected to start on the site once Council approval is granted.
