Storm Éowyn damage sparks refresh of Limerick bar’s unique sign

A LIMERICK bar owner has revealed the damage done to his pub’s signage by Storm Éowyn has prompted a revamp as his firm marks half a decade in the city.

Jono Crute, the head brewer at Crew Brewing Company, based at Thomas Street in the city centre, was speaking after he won the bi-monthly Limerick City Tidy Towns award.

At the peak of the storm, which ravaged Ireland last month, he revealed the three dimensional signage bearing the bar’s name became unstuck from its premises at Limerick’s former fire station which specialises in craft beers brewed on site.

The ‘W’, which is the last letter in the bar’s sign, was swept away by the high winds.

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“Thankfully no-one was hurt. It happened right bang in the middle of the peak red warning. So it was good nobody was around,” he recalled.

Off the back of this, a hunt was launched for the missing W with a reward of five free Crew pints on offer for whoever returned it.

Lo! and behold, the W was returned two days later by staff of Wickham Street Studios, who had recovered it following the storm.

While the sign is back in place, Jono revealed that they are taking the opportunity to give the bar’s signage a refresh.

“It’s clearly better to do this, now we have the climate to think about, with the weather likely to get worse,” he said.

He is working with leading local signwriter Tom Collins to come up with a new emblem which will not fly away!

The original sign will be moved inside the pub to form part of an installation.

“We put that sign up when we opened five years ago. We didn’t know who we were, what we wanted. So it’s as good a time as any to get down to Tom Collins’ and work on something really cool,” Jono added.

Crew Brewing Co was honoured by Limerick City Tidy Towns, whose volunteers were impressed with the firm’s upcycled seating, plus the sense of community and inclusivity about the place.

For Jono, the group’s first award in 2025 is a welcome one to receive.

“There was a bit of surprise when we first heard. Most of the awards, at the very least, you need to enter yourself for consideration. On this one, we didn’t need to do anything. It was a group going out of their way and saying they saw the effort and care which goes in,” Jono added.