Land identified for new community centre in fast-growing area of Limerick

A LONG-AWAITED community centre for the suburbs of Raheen, Dooradoyle and Mungret may finally be in sight.

At this month’s metropolitan district meeting, council official Seamus O’Connor confirmed that land at Maypark, which is currently home to the area’s Men’s Shed, is being looked at for use as a community centre.

He gave the answer to Independent councillor Maria Donoghue, who asked for the local authority to look at sites.

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Cllr Donoghue said: “With recent significant population growth, there is now an urgent demand for a multi-purpose community centre. This facility is desperately needed, especially as a new generation of children and teenagers are growing up without easy access to essential spaces for recreation and development”.

The site at Maypark is currently home to the Raheen/Dooradoyle Men’s Shed, and while there is an empty patch of land in front, it’s unclear whether the two could exist together.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Exploratory discussions will be taking place over the coming months internally with a view to deciding on the best long-term use of this site. The Men’s Shed currently offers great support to the local community and this will be taken into consideration alongside all necessary consultations prior to any decisions being made about the site.”

Fine Gael councillor Daniel Butler believes having the Men’s Shed on the same site would be “hugely complementary” to any new community centre.

“The Men’s Shed which has proven a huge success with growing numbers is evidence of the need for such a centre. The area is growing in terms of housing, but once again community resourcing is falling behind,” he said.

He said the land at Maypark is: “ideal”, pointing to its closeness to both public transport and some of the older housing estates across Raheen and Dooradoyle.