My Limerick ⁠— Conor Sheehan: 'When we put our shoulder to the wheel nothing is impossible'

Conor Sheehan is a sitting councillor for Limerick City North

What’s your idea of a perfect day, or a perfect weekend in Limerick?

My idea of a perfect day would be waking up on a Saturday morning and going for a leisurely breakfast in either Café Rose or The Buttery followed a wander around the city centre. In the evening it would be a nice dinner at one of the city centre restaurants followed by “one or two” glasses of wine at the Copper Room on O’Connell Street. 

What’s your first Limerick memory?

My first Limerick memory is walking around the city centre with my late grandmother when we used often go to Bewley's café on Cruises Street and then into Quinnsworth where she used to do her grocery shopping and I would help her carry the shopping back to her house in Athlunkard Street.

What’s your favourite part of the city and why?

My favourite part of the city is sitting on top of the food stand in the Milk Market on a Saturday morning watching people shop and chat below. 

What is your favourite local walk or view?

Being from Corbally, I would have to say the Shannon Fields and the Canal Bank walk. The Smarter Travel initiative has transformed this walkway and we are so lucky to have such a fantastic amenity on our doorstep.

What do you think gives Limerick its unique identity?

I think the people of Limerick and the River Shannon give Limerick its unique identity. Limerick people are funny, cheeky and optimistic and are the key to the revival of the city in the last 10 years. I also think the majestic River Shannon flowing through the centre of the city is part of our identity and I lament how the city has been largely constructed facing away from the river.

Do you have a favourite local restaurant?

I have more than one as I like to eat out a lot. For breakfast, Lush Café at Grove Island do really nice French toast, for lunch I like the Hunt and also the Milk Thistle Café in Mungret and Flanagan’s on Thomas Street do a really good steak dinner.

How important do you think sports and the arts are to Limerick?

I think sport and the arts are an important means of expressing our identity here in Limerick. If you take rugby, which in other parts of the country would be considered a preserve of the middle classes but in Limerick it has a universal appeal that transcends class, similarly the All-Ireland hurling win last year brought out the best in our city with a buzz that was simply unbeatable. I also think the recent production of Limerick playwright Mike Finn’s Bread not Profits by the Guna Nua to mark the 100 year anniversary of the Limerick Soviet is an example of the sheer talent and creativity of Limerick.  Our success in the fields of sports and the arts shows how Limerick people are grafters above all else and when we put our shoulder to wheel nothing is impossible.

If you could add one amenity to Limerick, what would it be?

I would love Limerick to once again have a city centre cinema and a street of late opening cafés and bars akin to Shop Street in Galway and I think Catherine Street has potential if pedestrianised to develop into such an area.

What’s the biggest challenge facing the city or county today?

I think the biggest challenge facing the city at the moment is the question of how we revitalise our city to make it more liveable and a key element of that must be housing. The Council own a substantial amount of land that should be developed for housing including the Guinness site off Carey’s Road which would be ideal for cost rental housing. We also need to get more people living in the city centre and develop the centre as the key focal point for our city. Part of this involves making brave decisions such as taking cars out of the city centre to make streets such as O’Connell Street less of a thoroughfare and more of a place where people can gather and socialise.