Speech by Mayor of Limerick John Moran at launch of One Opera Square Building

Standing here today, something powerful hits me.

Across the Abbey River lies King’s Island - a place whose story over the centuries mirrors the soul of Limerick: enduring sieges, famine, pandemics… and just over ten years ago, devastating floods that impacted everyone so deeply.

It hosts our Norman castle, our City Hall, our oldest cathedral - but also, within a short walk from here, one of Ireland’s most challenged and deprived communities. Yet within that community sits a truly impressive school - St Mary’s National School.

Its educators, led by Principal Eoghan O’Byrne, meet tremendous obstacles every day with fierce belief, and the children respond with hope for a better future and a resilience that humbles us all.

Last summer, my inauguration took place in that same ancient cathedral.

And something very moving happened: three children—one from St Mary’s, two from elsewhere in our county—stood and asked me to serve them, and all the people of Limerick.

I promised I would. But they were speaking not just to me, but through me, to everyone here.

Decisions we make must place the wellbeing of children, and all our young people, at its centre.

Thanks to government funding and the past work of many gathered here and those beyond, a spark of belief is catching on.

Yes, there are serious problems still to be addressed, but even in the last twelve months we’ve made great progress for the children of King’s Island:

• Flood protection works are underway,
• Plans for a new public realm and community centre are advancing,
• King John’s Castle has a new plan that will create jobs for local families,
• Derelict buildings are being repurposed for design hubs and homes.

Soon, there’ll be a sustainable school garden - and even Ireland’s first pet-friendly public housing nearby.

Private investment is following. Nicholas Street is finding a new buzz.

TUS is reimagining its King’s Island campus as a research hub.

And just last week, I signed a mayoral order to advance a pedestrian bridge linking this site to that campus.

No one project makes a city. But each one builds confidence. Each spreads hope.

That is contagious confidence.

And it’s not just here. Across the city and county, we see the same momentum:

• A new Colbert bus station;
• Key access roads to Moyross and the Adare bypass progressing;
• Rail improvements to Foynes and a new Moyross station on the way;
• New hospital facilities at UHL, Ballysimon, Punches’ Cross, and Coonagh;
• New school facilities like Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh;
• Housing developments countywide.

I could list many more, but the point is clear: Limerick is delivering.

And there is much more to do.

And here today, we see the shape of what’s next.

Thanks to the leadership of Limerick Twenty Thirty and the Treaty Stone Partnership, our bold vision is becoming real.

One Opera Square is not just a building - it is a statement.

A statement of ambition rooted in confidence, telling the world: we are serious about getting all the way there.

And it is part of something bigger.

Together with the future transformation of Arthur’s Quay Park - with a vision for a UL medical school - and the revitalisation of the Milk Market, this building forms a transformational triangle at the heart of Georgian Limerick:

Designed to inspire community living, commerce, innovation, and civic pride.

To prospective tenants, investors, and partners - look closely at Limerick.

We are brimming with talent, backed by UL, TUS, and MIC.

We are connected by road, rail, and air.

We are one of the most affordable and welcoming cities in Ireland to live, work, and grow.

But more than that, we hold something rare: momentum.

Limerick is not just open for business - it is hungry for partnership.

We have asked you here today, not just to consider renting office space, but to join a movement.

Of course, none of this happens by accident.

It takes vision. It takes time. It takes people united across all sectors.

• To the Government of Ireland - and especially you, Minister Donohoe—thank you and your Department for your belief and commitment to balanced regional development.
• To the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund - your support was not just financial, but civic, and above all, a commitment to the futures of our children.
• To the Treaty Stone Partnership and its Chair, Barry O’Sullivan - you are collaboration at its best.
• To the team at Limerick Twenty Thirty - as your shareholder, I am proud of you all. With passion, determination and precision you turned vision into reality.
• To my colleagues at Limerick City & County Council under Dr Pat Daly - thank you for your guidance, your work and your belief in this project.
• And most of all, to the people of Limerick - thank you for your patience, your spirit, and your trust.

This building is yours. This day is yours. And it is part of our shared future.

This building would not be here without others too.

I commend the bravery of past councillors who backed this vision when it wasn’t easy.

I acknowledge the guidance of the Limerick Economic Forum under Denis Brosnan, and the visionary Michael Collins, formerly of Limerick and Foynes Port, sadly no longer with us but whose encouragement helped make today possible.

Before I conclude, I want to share a story.

During my time as Secretary General, with Minister Michael Noonan, we invited the EIB leadership to the Department of Finance to hear about Dublin’s Parnell Square library plan - and also invited Conn Murray, then CEO of Limerick City and County Council, to present Limerick’s real story and plans. He told it with raw honesty.

Some time later, on a “midnight tour” of Moyross, Southill, and Ballinacurra Weston, I showed VP Jonathan Taylor what we were fighting for.

The result: a €75 million loan from the EIB, of which I am proud to have been a board director - a pivotal driver of today’s reality.

To Minister Noonan, to Werner Hoyer, to Jonathan Taylor - and to Conn for his steadfast service to the project since - thank you.

Earlier this year, the OPW and your Government backed us again with funding for the new Government building across the plaza. We are deeply grateful.

And now - and forgive the boldness, Ministers - I ask for your continued support for one more piece: funding for our City Library across the plaza.

Not just to complete Opera Square - but because the children of the Mid-West deserve the same promise of learning, openness, and opportunity.

As the children of St Mary’s look across at these buildings, I want them to know: their future lies here too, and that we have delivered on the promise made to them last year.

In two years, the eyes of the sporting world will be on Limerick as we host the Ryder Cup.

In 2028, we hope to welcome Europride.

And by 2029, I hope to stand here again - with Opera Square thriving, the Government building delivered, a new hotel open, and - with your help - the City Library well underway.

Each promise kept becoming another reason to believe.

If we can build that much - together - just imagine what more could come next.

Thank you.