O'Connell Street, Limerick

The Belltable Arts Centre, 69 O'Connell Street

Retail outlets on O'Connell Street include Brown Thomas, Debenhams and Penneys, while O'Mahony's have a large bookstore there founded in 1902. The George Hotel is also located on the street, which also acts as a regional financial services centre with a number of large retail banking operations, including Bank of Ireland, AIB, Permanent TSB, Ulster Bank and KBC Bank.

A study carried out by the CBRE Ireland Research Team in 2012 found that 16% of retail units on O'Connell Street were vacant,[1] making it the worst performing main city thoroughfare in Ireland in retail terms.[1] The results also reflected poorly on the quality of retail offered on O'Connell Street with Limerick having the greatest proportion of fast food restaurants on its main street, at 21%, followed by footwear at 13%, and jewellery stores at 5%; this was in stark contrast to other Irish cities and towns where women's fashionwear occupies the core retail slots on the main streets and also offer a more mixed fashion offering.[1]

The Belltable Arts Centre, located at 69 O'Connell Street, is a multi-disciplinary venue which houses a 250-seat theatre/cinema, a 50-seat balcony studio (for occasional poetry and smaller performances), a visual arts gallery (hosting up to 12 exhibitions a year) and a basement restaurant. It hosts the Unfringed Festival, which is Limerick's only performance festival in spring.[2]

View of Cannock's Department Store (now Penney's) and its Landmark Clock Tower on O'Connell Street in the early 20th century

O'Connell Street dates from the late 18th to early 19th century as part of Edmund Sexton Pery's plan for the development of a new city on lands he owned to the south of the existing medieval city. In 1765, he commissioned the engineer Davis Ducart to design a town plan on those lands which have since become known as Newtown Pery. The centrepiece of this development was O'Connell Street. The street along with the rest of Newtown Pery was built to Georgian design and is part of Limerick's Georgian Quarter.

The street prospered from the time of its construction and quickly attracted the city's wealthier residents who then resided in the Englishtown area of medieval Limerick. The cramped and lofty Dutch styled dwellings of Englishtown and Irishtown were no match for the new, grand and spacious housing & thoroughfares of Newtown Pery. Although the street functioned as the main retail & commercial district of the city, this was (and remains today) primarily focused on the northern end of the street. The southern end of the street, in contrast, was more residential in character with the barrier being located about midway on the street (from the Cecil Street junction). Today, most of the residential townhouses on the street are now occupied by offices.

View of the old AIB bank & Royal George Hotel on O'Connell Street, in the 1950s

From the 1950s onwards due to accidental damage from fire, neglect and poor planning by the city authorities a lot of the Georgian heritage has been lost on the northern end of the street around the retail core and has had an overall negative impact on the appearance of the street. Notable architectural losses include the façades of Cannock's Department store and its landmark clock tower (now Penneys), Todd's Department Store (now Brown Thomas) and Cruises Hotel (now Cruises Street) amongst many more. Nevertheless, some of the finest examples Georgian townhouse architecture in Ireland still survives on the southern end and along the Crescent area of the street.

For a time the O'Connell Street & William Street/Sarsfield Street junction was historically an important crossroads junction in the west of Ireland with four national primary routes converging at the one place. The N7 from Dublin and the east, the N18 from Galway and the north, the N20 from Cork & Kerry and the south west and the N24 from Waterford and the south east all converged at the one place. Most of O'Connell Street was part of the N20 prior to the opening of the Limerick Southern Ring Road in 2004. It now forms part of the R527 regional road.

Events

Crowds on O'Connell Street watching rugby on a large screen

• On 20 May 2006, O'Connell Street was closed to automobile traffic so that 50,000 could crowd the street to watch the Heineken Cup Final, Munster vs. Biarritz on a massive screen.
• On 24 May 2008, the street was closed again for automobiles so that crowds could watch the Heineken Cup Final between Munster and Toulouse on a massive screen.
• The Munster Rugby homecoming ceremony was also held on O'Connell Street on both occasions.
• In September 1998 thousands gathered in O'Connell Street for a speech given by the then President of the United States, Bill Clinton.
• In May 1964, thousands lined O'Connell Street as senator Ted Kennedy gave a speech from Cruises Hotel. The visit came just 5 months after the assassination of his brother John F. Kennedy who had also visited Limerick in 1963.[4][5]
• The annual St. Patrick's Day parade takes place on O'Connell Street every year on the 17 March as well as the annual Limerick International Marching Band Competition which takes place on the weekend nearest to St. Patrick's Day.
• Penny’s Clock; The Clock Tower was erected by John O Carroll, Clarina, Limerick. A skilled crane driver and employee of William O Brien Crane Hire In the 1970’s. John’s son, Maurice, went on to found O Carroll Haulage and Crane Hire in Limerick.

O'Connell Street, remains the main street of the city. Extensive recent investment has altered the street aesthetically. The international Rugby Experience building designed by Niall McLaughlin has transformed the Georgian skyline. Businesses such as Copper Rooms have reimagined the traditional coal bunkers, turning them into a wine bar. Similarly the 101, a speakeasy type establishment has renovated and repurposed a Georgian building. The street is also home to a traditional pubs and restaurants such as the White House. O'Connell Street is home to a large number of business. Culturally, Narrative 4, a storytelling youth project is based at 58 O'Connell Street. A large scale revitalisation project with new limestone paving and planting of O'Connell Street began in 2020.

• Cruises Street
• William Street
• Henry Street
• Newtown Pery
• Daniel O'Connell
• Edmund Sexton Pery