THE LIMERICK Civic Trust has emerged as an interested party to take over the old Sailors’s Home on O’Curry Street in the city centre, which was destroyed in a blaze two weeks ago.
Before that, the building had lain unoccupied but had been used for a number of exhibitions and cultural events.
Now, after news that steps have been taken to rebuild the Sailors’ Home, Limerick Civic Trust (LCT) say that they are interested in working with interested parties to begin restoring the building to its former glory and giving it a full-time use.
In a statement to the Limerick Post, Limerick Civic Trust said: “Limerick Civic Trust, with a 40-year legacy of refurbishing Limerick heritage buildings and structures, finds itself, by exponential growth, needing a building of sufficient capacity and heritage value to accommodate the daily operations integral to its community work.”
“And with its generous grounds, we had identified the Sailors’ Home as a perfect answer to that need. Such a move would allow us to commence a first-rate conservation project,” they said.
LCT said that despite the fire that destroyed the inside of the Sailors’ Home, they see it as a time of opportunity to restore the building to its former glory.
“The Limerick Civic Trust, with this recent sad event, sees a unique opportunity to raise a community-affirming cultural project from the ashes which recently fell to the floor of the imposing heritage building, the Sailors’ Home, as we have done with so many iconic Limerick buildings in the past.”
Chairman of Limerick Civic Trust, Donal Creaton said: “We have invested many many hours with various groups, state agencies, developers, the local authority, third level institutions, and others exploring our next restoration project. The Sailors Home was top of the list of 104 derelict properties that the Trust published in 2018.”
“We must take all possible steps to avoid disasters like this reoccurring. I truly hope that this sad event is a wakeup call for all involved with derelict property – one must use it or lose it but ideally work with us, the LCT, and together we can achieve something that the whole community may benefit from and be proud of and present our great City in the way it should be so presented . It is now time for action and LCT is waiting to engage,” he concluded.
