Film studio to be built on Dell site - Hollywood hub

The late, great film actor Richard Harris must surely be smiling from above at the thought of his native city becoming a Hollywood hub.

Movie and TV stars could be soon on their way there as plans are being finalised to turn the old Dell computer plant into a film studio. Coming fast on the heels of Limerick’s successful designation as the 2014 City of Culture, this is good news not just for the art world in the west of Ireland but also for employment prospects in an exciting industry.

Limerick City and County Council has all but concluded an agreement to turn the old building in Castletroy into a first class film studio.

The agreement will go some way to overcoming the closure in 2009 of the Dell manufacturing plant which resulted in the loss of almost 2,000 jobs in the city.

The council paid in the region of €6 million for the huge building complex set on 25 acres of land. The deal could lead to the creation of upwards of 700 jobs in the area.

The proposed studio facilities include the use of the 340,000 sq ft building in Castletroy, previously used as The Culture Factory for Limerick City of Culture.

If this were a Hollywood movie, the venture would prove to be an outstanding success, heralding renewed prosperity for Limerick and the West. It is a pity that Richard Harris is not be around to take a leading role.