Plunge taken to convert Limerick swimming pool to a new €1.1m facility
The community building is planned for the Salesian Campus in Pallaskenry
THE SALESIANS have taken a major plunge to invest €1.1m into a project in place of an old swimming pool.
A youth and community facility is set to open on the Salesian Campus in Pallaskenry. It follows the conversion of the former pool - closed since 2009 - and associated buildings into a modern, multi-use centre.
The plan will support Salesian Secondary College, the Salesian Religious community’s youth programmes, local residents, and community groups across Limerick.
It is designed to strengthen the campus’s role as a hub for education, formation, and community life in west Limerick.
The project is being delivered through a significant funding partnership, between Salesians Ireland contributing €900,000, Salesian Secondary College fundraising €100,000, and the Benefact Trust contributing €107,000, bringing the total project value to €1.1 million.
Moss Garde, CEO of Salesians Ireland, said: “This project is about more than a building. It is about creating a lasting resource that supports young people, strengthens the school, and serves the wider community in Pallaskenry and beyond.”
Keith O’Rahilly, principal of Salesian Secondary College, said their students and staff have watched the pool building stand unused for many years.
“To see it reborn as a vibrant youth and community centre is hugely exciting. It will enhance our school programme, support our partnerships with local clubs and groups, and give our young people access to modern, safe, and versatile spaces for learning, sport, and recreation,” said Mr O’Rahilly.
Works to convert the former pool building are now underway, with completion and official opening to be announced in due course.
The presence of the Salesians of Don Bosco in Limerick dates back over a century when they purchased Copsewood House and lands in Pallaskenry in 1919, opening an agricultural college and a boys’ school in 1920.