Memories - 1963: Kennedy visit: Limerick will know this week of plans

Mayor stresses importance of tourism at hotel opening

The importance of tourism to Limerick was stressed by mayor Frances Condell, when she replied to the toast of guests at the opening of the city’s Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday last.

The mayor said: “Occasionally we of Limerick have complained and regretted our retarded industrial expansion in comparison with other contiguous areas, but I fear that, in that complaining, we have forgotten and overlooked a very important fact - the fact that, in all this rebuilding and new building we have witnessed in our city over the last few years we have seen, unknown to ourselves the birth of a new industry of national importance right here on our own doorstep, an industry we have contributed to in no small fashion, the industry of tourism.”

The mayor said she wondered if we had ever paused long enough to consider seriously the importance of the industry to our city and to our local and national economy.

“I wonder if we have ever considered how lucky we are in Limerick to have had so many reputable sites of the industry placed within our own boundaries and the vast employment it has given to our people in the building, the equipping and the managing of the industry.”

Kennedy visit: Limerick will know this week of plans

This week it will be known whether or not President Kennedy will include a visit to Limerick in his already prepared schedule.

If he should come to the city, it is now thought that the conferring of the Freedom ceremony would take place at the O’Connell Monument rather than at the Gaelic Grounds on the Ennis Road.

Our representatives learned over the weekend that talks have been going on between officials of the American Embassy, Dublin and the Department of External Affairs with regard to the wishes of Limerick’s citizens to be honoured with a visit from the American President.

The President’s advance party will be back in this country tomorrow and will consider the representations made by Cllr Frances Condell, Mayor of Limerick, to include Limerick on the itinerary.

Preliminary enquiries have been made already in Dublin about a suitable landing place near Limerick city for the President’s helicopter.

At the moment there is no hint that the President will stop off in Limerick. Much depends on the advance party’s recommendations.