well what about the developments popping up in the shannonside ?
- This topic has 2,478 replies, 127 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by
.
- Posts
In relation to the 6 rowing clubs in Limerick Urban Area, 4 are in the city centre, one is located in UL and one in Castleconell.
Only two city centre clubs are actively as rowing clubs, in reality.
St. Michaels, used to be the poorer cousin of Shannon and Limerick Boat Club, has become one of the best rowing clubs in Ireland in recent years, two-time World Champion Sculler, and Olympian, Sam Lynch rowed out of there. Won the Big Pot last year with 2 members of Shannon in the 8.
Athlunkard, has been rejuvenated after the clubhouse was burned down in the 1990’s, and is steadily re-appearing on the scene, had a top class Junior rower recently, think he is moving on to the senior ranks now. Got Irish honours when he was 16 iirc.
Shannon, more of a social club, hasn’t had a serious crew since the pair in the 1990’s. The pair have since reformed and are rowing in a Shannon/St. Michaels composite. No sign of any new rowers coming through their ranks, but they still have a pretty prestigious name.
Limerick Boat Club. Well, pretty much have fallen apart and will probably be impossible to revive even if this development goes ahead, for the simple reason that demographic shifts mean there is no longer the numbers to support another city centre club. Limerick haven’t had a serious crew since the 1980’s (afaik) and were so badly run back then that they let themselves fall apart. Would take a lot more than a shiny glass building to save it, which is a pity because it used to be a decent club.
UL, not really rated on the national scene, but are serious about becoming a major player. Have made huge investments in clubhouse etc.
Castleconnell, not too sure, were active in the 1990’s but seem to have drifted a bit since.
In short, of all the clubs in Limerick, Limerick Boat Club are in the weakest position. Will take a huge effort to get the club revived. Maybe it can be done, but frankly, I’d rather have a nice city centre and riverfront than support a dwindling club that let itself be run into the ground. If St. Michaels can prosper while LBC collapses, surely it shows that LBC is simply a poorly run club who’s time has run-out. The city should not maintain it just to keep a few former rowers happy. Would love to see Limerick Boat Club provide a list of how many active members it has, and how long it’s been since each of them were either involved in rowing or running the club.
Imo, the way for Limerick to revive itself is not to worry about shiny new buildings but to get involved in bringing new rowers into the club. It let it’s main slip way degenerate to the point where it is seriously unsafe now, it has no under-age crews (and hasn’t had an underage crew in over 5 years (afaik)), it has no senior crews, so exactly how many rowers are left in the club? I know I’m labouring the point, but think it’s bizarre to give such a poorly run club another chance to run itself into the ground.
CologneMike – the taxpayers/UL Foundation didn’t pay for the UL Boathouse – it is currently being paid each year by the students as part of capitation.
Does anyone know what is happening with the plans Boyd Cody made for an arts centre at the far side of the living bridge in UL?
I wouldnt necessarily say that Mr.Daly has ‘raised the bar’ architecturally with either Riverpoint or The Marriott !
Also , Have you checked out the website of the Boat Club Schemes architects ?
Looks like they did a nice house extension once . . .@scitilop wrote:
CologneMike – the taxpayers/UL Foundation didn’t pay for the UL Boathouse – it is currently being paid each year by the students as part of capitation.
ULSU borrowed the money up front to spend on the boathouse and are going to buying that back from funds raised from the students via capitation. I’ve nothing personal against Limerick Boat club, but one does have to wonder what is served by building this in order to preserve a club on that site that couldn’t make a go of it on that site. What certainty is there that that club might not be wound up at some point after the building is finished and some other use made of the structure? None.
@PTB wrote:
Does anyone know what is happening with the plans Boyd Cody made for an arts centre at the far side of the living bridge in UL?
UL are fund raising for that I thought, there is a clip here
@Dreamstate wrote:
I wouldnt necessarily say that Mr.Daly has ‘raised the bar’ architecturally with either Riverpoint or The Marriott !
Jaysus Dreamstate, if you compare the quality of let say the Sarsfield Bridge Hotel in the image below with that of the Marriott Hotel.
It shows a distinct improvement in the quality of building in the city?
Also , Have you checked out the website of the Boat Club Schemes architects ?
Looks like they did a nice house extension once . . .I did, had similar thoughts about their portfolio too . . . no track record . . . . should we be concerned here?
@scitilop wrote:
CologneMike – the taxpayers/UL Foundation didn’t pay for the UL Boathouse – it is currently being paid each year by the students as part of capitation.
Capitation :confused: Ah! . . . tax, fee, charge or grant of an equal sum per person.
Thats 10.000+ students, at how much a head?
Sounds like serious competition for the “poor†city rowing clubs.
Hmmm . . . I wonder would the UL Students Union ever consider investing in a LOI football team or greyhound racing. 😉
I’m not for a moment getting into the quality debate but my word – the Mariott looks like something thrown up in the early 80s in that pic… all that mirrored glass, very Dallas (as in the tv show – tacky!!)… i know it’s a bit better in the flesh but thats a particularly awful angle – especially with the lovely solidity of the warehouse in the foreground…
Actually I think the old restored warehouse is nicely shown up against the Marriot etc. It’s even more of an interesting feature now with it being entirely freestanding and surrounded by the modern buildings.
The boathouse replacement looks monstrous. It would really block the view up the river and detract from the bridge. Surely any replacement should be discreet and at most two storeys in order to be no more obtrusive than the current building. The bridge is the more important feature.
@BTH wrote:
I’m not for a moment getting into the quality debate but my word
BTH, why not and you are!
the Mariott looks like something thrown up in the early 80s in that pic… all that mirrored glass, very Dallas (as in the tv show – tacky!!)…
You are not mixing up the Riverpoint with the Marriott?
Even then I can’t see the glass tower of the Riverpoint invoking images of “JR’s Dallas†and we have yet to see Michael Daly wearing a cowboy hat.
Speaking of cowboys and tacky quality developments, two developers O’Dolan and Hynes of Lochside Properties, incidentally from your part of the woods came into town here and left a disastrous apartment block behind them. Richmond Court is a definition of a tacky development! They should be blacklisted by every local authority in the country.
But for the sake of argument, if both developments were to be viewed as tacky, then my argument would still stand in that the Marriott Hotel is a vast improvement in building quality of the city than the likes of Sarsfield Bridge Hotel i.e. less tacky! :rolleyes:
i know it’s a bit better in the flesh but thats a particularly awful angle – especially with the lovely solidity of the warehouse in the foreground…
Sorry had no better material to offer, in fact complete photos of the Marriott can only be taken from an angle view!
A pity the Marriott Hotel had not the Sarsfield Bridge Hotel site to be build on in the first place.
Strangely the mirrored glass on Riverpoint works really well because it’s all the one thing (plus the form is really quite beautiful) – the mariott has so much going on in it’s facades that the mirrored glass really jumps out at you which I think looks a bit tacky. Plus it has that pretty nasty roofscape that really shouldn’t have been mirrored as well. It just draws attention right up there above the quite elegant parapet line.
On the Sarsfield Bridge Hotel – I presume it’s a late 80’s early 90’s structure and thus very much of it’s time in terms of ambition. It’s most certainly not the worst building of this era around, at least there appears to be some attempt at proportion to the opes! Just look at the crap to the right of it for really low quality architecture.@KeepAnEyeOnBob wrote:
Actually I think the old restored warehouse is nicely shown up against the Marriot etc. It’s even more of an interesting feature now with it being entirely freestanding and surrounded by the modern buildings.
Agreed. Understand BTH’s point but you have to take the Marriot in the context of that whole area of Bedford Row and Henry Street. It works very well but maybe not from that particular image. I’d also prefer mirrored glass to more plastic green copper wannabe tacked down the side of the building and it does work excellently on Riverpoint. The reflections of the sunset on Riverpoint are quite breathtaking at times. Some excellent exmaples on Flickr
This article appeared in one of the mid week editions of the Limerick Leader, it sure didn’t take long for the knives to come out for this one! Looks like they’ve been checking us out here on archiseek aswell!:D
Well Dan, are you going to seek a meeting with some of these councilors you refer to?
An Taisce to object to €20m development of Limerick Boatclub
Anne Sheridan
The heritage body An Taisce have said they intend to lodge an objection against the proposed €20m development on Sarsfield bridge which would see the Boatclub demolished in favour of a new modern building which would facilitate the rowing club.
Local An Taisce spokesperson Dan Sullivan said they will also be urging people to lobby their city councilors to ensure the Boatclub, which is a protected structure is not de-listed and they do not change the zoning of the site from open space to mixed use development.
“I would challenge each councilor in turn that might seek to renege on their previous position to explain what exactly has changed. It is sad that what was proving to be a thriving alternative music venue was shut down so the Boatclub building could be allowed lie vacant in order to justify this application,†said Mr. O’Sullivan.
He said he agrees that “the boat sheds aren’t exactly architecturally inspiring†but believes that the building should be retained.
The public have also been voicing their views on the proposed development on architectural websites and the local Limerick Blogger site since the Limerick leader exclusively revealed the full plans proposed by Fordmount developments last week.
Some bloggers described the plans as “a bloody disgrace†while others said they were “bold, ambitious and certainly a break from the norm.†one blogger on the architectural website, archiseek.com said “ I can see both sides of the argument – the developers want to create something modern and striking, while others want to see the past preserved.†Others said while they liked the designs drawn up by the Belfast based architects McCann Moore, they believed they may not be suitable for that location and instead should be located in another area of the city, such as the docklands.
Concerns regarding traffic flow during construction, if the development is given the go-ahead by the city planners on June 26th, was also expressed as a concern by a number of people.
Developer Michael Daly of Fordmount Developments has said he will simply “walk away from the plans†if the public are unhappy with the designs. “I really hope people will look at these plans and say “that’s fantastic.â€
“That’s the reaction I want to get. If they don’t want it, we’ll forget about it. Its now a question of whether the city wants this building or not,†said Mr Daly.
To date, labour Councillor Joe Leddin, Fine Gael Cllrs Jim Long and Kevin Kiely have given the development the thumbs up.
Limerick Boatclub, who would be re-housed in the new four-storey development believe it is a “ win-win situation†for the rowing club. Independent Cllr Kathleen Leddin said she believes the current boatclub – which is a protected structure – should be upgraded rather than demolished.
Henry Street/Glentworth Street Corner
The Henry Street area looks sets for more redevelopment after an application was submitted for a new 5 storey office building at the junction with lower Glentworth Street. The site is located next door to the former GPO complex and Roches hanging gardens building and is currently occupied by a non descript single storey warehouse type structure.
Permission is sought for the demolition of existing premises and the construction of a five storey premises consisting of a retail unit on the ground floor and four floors of offices overhead and associated site works. All at 19 Henry Street Limerick (the corner of Lower Glentworth Street/Henry Street).
Dominic G O’Riordan & Associates
Former GPO complex and hanging gardens
Had my first proper look around Limerick for the first time in ages on Friday, and I’ve gotta say the place blew me away. Some really fantastic developments going on, and completed, the city centre in particular is quite impressive, while all out the Dublin Road as far as the Annacotty Roundabout is undergoing huge change. The UL area looked great! I’ve got to say developers/architects in Limerick have some balls and imagination, and haven’t been afraid to push the boundaries. A bit more of that attitude elsewhere wouldn’t go astray…
Back on the topic of the opera centre, Regeneration Developments have submitted a potentially significant application to the planning office. The alterations are likely to involve the integration of a number of additional georgian buildings into the complex, ie No.s 1,2,3 Patrick Street and the old town hall on Rutland Street (a protected structure).
Yet again though, the City Councils shambolic enquiry system dosent want us to know the details!:( For the love of God will ye sort that thing out!:mad:
@phatman wrote:
Had my first proper look around Limerick for the first time in ages on Friday, and I’ve gotta say the place blew me away. Some really fantastic developments going on, and completed, the city centre in particular is quite impressive, while all out the Dublin Road as far as the Annacotty Roundabout is undergoing huge change. The UL area looked great! I’ve got to say developers/architects in Limerick have some balls and imagination, and haven’t been afraid to push the boundaries. A bit more of that attitude elsewhere wouldn’t go astray…
Glad to see you were impressed by the goings on down here phatman. Theres plenty more in the pipeline aswell, take a look back at the pages in this thread and you’ll get an idea!
@Tuborg wrote:
Back on the topic of the opera centre, Regeneration Developments have submitted a potentially significant application to the planning office. The alterations are likely to involve the integration of a number of additional georgian buildings into the complex, ie No.s 1,2,3 Patrick Street and the old town hall on Rutland Street (a protected structure).
Yet again though, the City Councils shambolic enquiry system dosent want us to know the details!:( For the love of God will ye sort that thing out!:mad:
That is astounding when you compare it to the Limerick County system which let’s people see everything.
@BTH wrote:
On the Sarsfield Bridge Hotel – I presume it’s a late 80’s early 90’s structure and thus very much of it’s time in terms of ambition.
Not at all!
It’s an early 00’s structure.
Around 2001 I think? 😛
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
