Limerick

A Favourite Of Mine

Almost every time I have visited Limerick the visit was ruined by constant rain. This year I took a huge gamble and visited early in March and in general was excellent but the first evening was not at all promising as it rained for about five hours.

The park boasts a number of interesting items including a memorial upon a giant pillar to Thomas Spring Rice, MP for the city of Limerick from 1820–1832, a 19th-century bandstand, an ornate drinking fountain (one of only two on the island of Ireland) and two gazebos.

Modern facilities include a playground opened in 2001 and memorial garden to The Little Angels of Limerick opened in 2002.

The Park was initially developed as part of the Pery Square development in the Newtown Pery area of central Limerick. This development commenced in 1835 and the associated park was a key-holders only park. The intended plan was to surround the park with housing for the more affluent members of society.

Pery Square was intended to be a complete Georgian square with the Georgian terraces enclosing a central park, similar in layout to Merrion Square or Mountjoy Square in Dublin, however more modest in scale. Ireland’s Georgian economy began to decline with the onset of the Great Irish Famine and only one terrace of the square was ever completed funds for the project ran out before this could be completed.

The park was officially opened in 1877, it was given to the People of Limerick in honour of Richard Russell, a prominent local businessman. It was the then Earl of Limerick in the 1870s who granted a 500-year lease of Pery Square and the surrounding grounds to the corporation under certain conditions. These included an agreement that no political or religious meetings were allowed to be held in the park and bands were not to play there on a Sunday.

The plots of land that were earmarked for the development of the Georgian Square were eventually incorporated into the park and extended it further north to what is now Mallow Street, eastwards towards Boherbuoy Road and southwards towards St. Joseph Street.

LIMERICK APRIL 2022

HUNT MUSEUM – THE NEW MUSEUM IN A GARDEN

Item Code L 003 A male figure in polished green serpentine or jade. This sculpture has its origins in the Olmec civilisation, the most ancient in Mesoamerica. Carvings left by Olmec masons suggest a society based on centralized political and religious authority. Distinctive features of carvings include many of those exibited in this statue, such as snarling mouth and prominent thick upper liip, toothless gums, bent legs, a flat nose and a proportionally large and bald head with cranial deformations. This figure is similar to those found in an elaborate burial at the formative site, La Venta. This example differs in its apparent mutilation of the arms and head, a practice commonly related to the abandonment of Olmec sites.

THE NEW PUBLIC SPACE

24 June 2021: The Hunt Museum, which exhibits one of Ireland’s greatest private collections of Art and Antiquities, has created an exciting new public space for Limerick. Museum in a Garden takes the Hunt Museum outside its walls to create a public urban garden in the heart of Limerick. The concept behind the garden, established as a Museum board priority in 2015, is to break down barriers to culture and art and encourage greater engagement with the community.

The garden was first opened as a public space in 2016. Then, in 2020, The Hunt Museum removed the railings around its green space to create the Museum in a Garden. Conceived as an extension to the museum, the garden will feature seven super-sized sculptures replicating artefacts from the museum. First to be installed is Olmec Man, a Mexican artefact that was digitised by TY students and made into a two-metre outdoor replica using 3D printing technologies with help from ESB, Arup, the Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) and Monaru.ie.

The beautifully designed river reflecting sensory garden by Nicola Haines also includes a community garden, a garden chess set, boules and “hills” for children to roll down. Custom-designed benches and personalised cobbles also feature thanks to the support of a public fundraising campaign.

Speaking at the official opening, Jill Cousins, Director, The Hunt Museum, said, “By allowing our objects to escape the museum walls, we hope to intrigue and entertain many more people. It is a work in progress and over the next six months more sculptures will take up residence outside as we hold events in this brand new and exciting space. Everyone was so generous under the Fund a Cobble campaign and JP McManus Golf Pro Am and our volunteers have been numerous and many. Museum in a Garden belongs to us all, to admire the sculptures, picnic, play chess, tend to vegetables or to simply sit still.”

Garden Design of Community-Influenced Sensory Garden

Running down to the River Shannon, the garden provides an oasis of calm in the city centre. The garden design was awarded to Nicola Haines following a nationwide competition where her innovative river reflecting, community-influenced sensory garden design won over the judges.

Explaining the concept behind the garden design, Nicola Haines, Tierney Haines Architects, said, “The design draws on the maritime connections of the building and museum collection by creating ‘tide lines’ of grass and planting that ebb and flow around the garden, creating alcoves of shelter for exhibition space, seating and play. Exhibition alcoves are planted to give a flavour of the origin of sculptures exhibited and provide semiprivate seating, whilst larger spaces create opportunities for growing, learning, games and events. The garden will be an inclusive public garden space which we hope will be loved and used by the local community and visitors alike.”

PEOPLE’S PARK IN LIMERICK

ESB OLMEC MAN