1963 - Coughlan demands ‘drastic action’ on Limerick slums

Coughlan demands action over Limerick’s ‘slums’

monday night’s City Council meeting was told that there is enough money in the Government Local Loans Fund to build all the houses needed in Limerick and Cork combined.

And that is was available to Limerick Corporation to be used for house building.

Yet it was alleged that this money was not being utilised although the Corporation has a waiting list of 1100 people looking for houses.

The matter was raised by Ald Steve Coughlan TD when the meeting was discussing housing generally in the city. He said that Mr DB O’Malley, parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Finance, had referred recently in the Dail to criticism of two Irish cities - one of which was Limerick - in which had been alleged there were slums.

“I agree fairly with him,” said Ald Coughlan.

“Every Saturday of my life I get over 100 people coming to me and the main topic is housing - the back of the problem of housing and schools had not been broken.

“The main position is not a question of how many houses are being built. The position is that there is in the Local Loans Fund enough money to meet the housing needs of Limerick and Cork combined as Mr O’Malley recently pointed out. That money is there and it is not being utilised.

“Now where do we go from here? There are 1100 people in Limerick looking for houses. He (Mr O’Malley) is right in saying there has been a lackadaisical approach by Limerick Corporation in not sending up schemes and getting ahead with our work.

“We are being told about the Bull Field scheme. That place is ploughed and ready for sowing, which means we cannot go in there until next October when the harvesting work has been done.

“We were put on the long finger over Watergate for 10 years or so. I want something done and some drastic action taken in regard to the building of more houses in Limerick. The money is there. I want to know why we are not going ahead with the schemes. What has been done about the provision of houses at the Abbey, at Clancy Strand and Vizes Field and in the different bombed out areas of the city?”

City manager Mr TP MacDiarmada gave particulars of the present building programme - 241 houses under construction, which was the highest for a number of years and departmental approval for the erection of 264 houses at Roxboro Road (Bull Field).

The Mayor, Cllr Mrs F Condell, stated that she had every confidence in Corporation officials to deal with building in the city.