When I first saw this it was painted an ugly faded red and the next time I photographed this ornate fountain I assumed that it had been repainted black with some red but now, having seen it again, I suspect that it is Black because the red pain has flaked off. Anyway, I prefer its current appearence but it is now because of it colour it is very easy to miss it if you do not know the exact location. I have requested Google Maps to add a pin so that it can be found [usually they act on my requests but some times they fail to react].

Drinking fountain, O’ Brien Park, Clare Street.

The park was laid out in the early 1940s and is dedicated to Terence Albert O’Brien, Bishop of Emly who was executed in 1651 following the Cromwellian conquest of Limerick City.

The fountain canopy features the heraldic emblem of a raised hand holding a sprig of flowers which is identical in design to the emblem on Tait’s Clock (1867) in Baker Place.

The motto on the canopy, ‘Gratiam dat Deus’ (God Give Grace), is also inscribed on Tait’s Clock and was Sir Peter Tait’s motto on his coat of arms.

For a period prior to its installation in O’Brien Park this drinking fountain was located inside the Limerick Clothing Factory on Lord Edward Street as a source of water for employees. The factory was founded by Sir Peter Tait.