Former Garda station bought by Limerick mayor to use as fashion museum deemed 'unsafe'

A survey recommended for the building to be dismantled

Funding from Limerick mayor John Moran’s mayoral fund was allocated to enable 'immediate intervention' at the former Garda station.

A former garda station bought by the mayor of Limerick to be used as a fashion museum will need to be dismantled, as the current building has been deemed “unsafe”.

The station on Mary Street in the city centre was due to be converted into the Limerick Museum of Fashion and design incubator.

However after further inspection, it has emerged the structural condition of the building is “unsafe”. Funding from Limerick mayor John Moran’s mayoral fund was allocated to enable “immediate intervention” at the former Garda station.

After contractors were appointed to the project in May 2025 to undertake clearance works and safely remove the roof, clearance works were completed in August 2025.

A spokesperson for the Limerick mayoral office said a survey recommended the dismantling of the building due to “unsafe structural conditions which were not suitable for refurbishment as initially envisaged”.

It is understood the fashion hub project will now be delayed by 18 months. The reconstruction now requires a Part 8 planning application by the council.

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“Work on the mayor’s proposed Limerick Museum of Fashion at the site is envisioned to progress following the completion of the required planning and construction processes,” added the spokesperson.

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.

A steering committee made up of Celia Holman Lee, Matthew Potter, Mike Fitzpatrick, Teresa Crowley, and Nina Means will help drive the project.