STORM TRACKER: Follow 'Storm Amy' as it bears down on Ireland amid brutal forecast
Search
06 Sept 2025
Search
06 Sept 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
The old McDonald's building has been snapped up by businessman Brian Dunne
THE FORMER McDonald’s building in Limerick city centre has been sold.
Limerick Live can this Monday reveal that the landmark unit at the junction of O’Connell Street and Cruises Street has been snapped up by businessman and restaurateur Brian Dunne.
Speaking to this newspaper, Mr Dunne confirmed he had purchased the former McDonald's building, and was considering future plans for what he described as a “super building”.
The unit has been boarded up for more than 12 months after the fast-food chain closed its store in the city centre.
It brought the curtain down on more than 30 years of trading in August last year.
Start your week informed! Grab today’s Limerick Leader to find out what will replace the former McDonald's in the city, and much much more.. for only €1.50! #buyapaper pic.twitter.com/SHJOBn4t1o
— Limerick Leader / Limerick Live (@Limerick_Leader) September 23, 2024
The move left Limerick as one of the few city centre areas in Europe without a branch of the Golden Arches company open and operating.
“The idea would be to put a restaurant in it, but considering the current limitations, I don't know if this will be feasible. The restaurant business is difficult due to the high VAT rates and customer's spending limits at the moment,” said Mr Dunne, who owns and runs Shake Dog branches elsewhere in O'Connell Street, as well as at Crescent Shopping Centre and Childers Road.
"Having a restaurant, or a coffee shop, it's a better experience. You're meeting your friends, you're meeting other people. We need restaurants, we need pubs, we need people to meet each other,” he added.
READ MORE: The Script confirm details of Limerick concert in Thomond Park
The former McDonald's unit was marketed by auctioneers Avison Young as a “prominent three-storey building”. It has an indoor area of around 4,455 square feet.
It comprises retail accommodation over the ground and first floor with office and staff accommodation on the second floor. It's unclear how much the sale went through for, but Avison Young were guiding the property at €1m.
The sale represents a boost for Cruises Street, which, along with McDonald's, has seen other high-profile shops close in recent years.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
