Multi-million euro arena plan for Limerick

MAYOR John Moran is to put together a bid for €100m Government funding to build a massive events centre in the heart of Limerick.

As part of a multi-billion euro package of funding he is seeking from the coalition, he has identified what he believes is a need for a “multi-use events centre” for Limerick.

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And he is asking the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, which is headed by local TD Patrick O’Donovan to release the funds.

There have long been calls for a convention centre in Limerick, with the business community complaining corporate tourism bypasses the city as there is no facility of scale locally.

But Mayor Moran believes the idea of a conference centre can be updated for current needs.

In a media briefing on his bid for funding from Government, he said: “There is a combination of two projects here, which is a multi-use events centre and a convention centre. We think we can modernise the concept of a convention centre and have it serve extra purposes. This would be planned for the city centre.”

“It is at an early stage, but an important one for our overall tourism product,” he acknowledged.

Plans to build a 5,000-capacity conference centre beside Thomond Park stadium were mooted in 2020.

The scheme, which was codenamed Project Light would have provided for a multi-purpose arena, able to host conferences and exhibitions, indoor sport, music entertainment and more.

A hotel was also expected to be included in the development, plus a multi-storey car park.

Council put together a bid for funding under the Urban Regeneration Development Fund.

But in the years following this, the funding bid was rejected by Government.

Mayor Moran revealed the latest bid after he was tasked by ministers to identify key projects and spend for projects across Limerick city and county.

He is also seeking a €30m GameCube for the city centre, €15m to improve the Milk Market, and €20m to spend on medieval Limerick.

“Limerick stands ready, not just to dream big but deliver,” he declared.