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Ministers O’ Donnell and Moran, fellow elected members, colleagues from Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Twenty Thirty, ladies and gentlemen.
For the second time in the last number of months, we are gathered in this space to celebrate another significant day for Limerick.
We are, of course, here to mark the awarding of the construction contract for this incredibly ambitious project - but what we are really marking is further progress in building momentum in Limerick.
It’s momentum that is real, tangible and has been building in this city over the last number of years. Today, thanks to our colleagues in Government delivering yet another vote of confidence in Limerick, it is taking another decisive step forward.
Thanks to the past and indeed present work of many gathered here and those beyond, a spark of belief is catching on and it is quickly igniting confidence in Limerick.
It’s a confidence many of us locally have long had; it’s now being shared nationally and internationally.
Key flood protection works are well underway just metres from where we stand today.
Plans for the public realm around this area – our great Market Quarter and Cruises St – are continuing to advance.
Indeed, just this week, I was pleased to sign contracts appointing a design team for the development of a Design and Innovation Hub in Nicholas Street, known as The Fireplace Site.
No one project makes a city, but each one builds confidence and hope.
These office buildings, when built by contractors John Sisk and Sons, will bring thousands of people into the heart of our city every day. This project will support high-quality jobs, strengthen our commercial core and reinforce Limerick’s role as a regional economic engine for the Midwest region, playing a key role in the balanced regional development of our country that we continue to lobby hard for.
The More for Limerick Mayoral Programme speaks about delivering A More Prosperous Limerick – there is arguably no better example of it than this.
This isn’t just about offices though. It’s about an entire urban quarter coming to life.
Together with the future transformation of Arthur’s Quay Park - with an ultimate vision for a UL medical school - and the revitalisation of the Milk Market as I mentioned, this building forms a transformational triangle at the heart of Georgian Limerick.
The planned hotel on this site, for example, is a vital part of that vision.
It will bring life and activity here beyond office hours.
It will support our growing tourism and conference offering.
Ultimately, it will make it easier for people to stay in the heart of Limerick city centre past 5pm, rather than passing through it.
That is a story that matters in Limerick. Why is that?
In the world we are living in, in 2026, indeed an ever more volatile world many would say, cities are competing not just on infrastructure, but on experience - on how they feel to live in, to visit, to study in and to invest in.
That is why, standing here today, looking across this plaza, I want to reiterate an ask that is central to Limerick’s future and that I asked about the last time we were standing here in September: funding for our city library.
This project is a vital one and it’s not just about completing Opera Square, as important as that is.
It’s because the children of Limerick and the Midwest region deserve the same promise of learning, openness and opportunity as those living in any other Eircode.
Positioned across this plaza, a new library would complete the picture that we are building here. It would be the coup de grace on a place where commerce, culture, education and public life meet.
If we are serious about building a city for everyone, we must invest in spaces that belong to everyone.
I will continue to make that case because Limerick deserves it. Indeed, it is what the people of Limerick voted for when they decided they wanted to become the first in Ireland to elect their own mayor.
This summer, Limerick will host a diplomatic delegation from Germany as part of Ireland’s upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
This is another significant opportunity to boost Limerick’s growing international profile, our openness and to our relevance on the international stage.
It is an opportunity to showcase not just our economic strengths, our cultural vibrancy, our universities, our innovation ecosystem and our ambition as a city that thinks beyond its boundaries.
A few thank yous, if I may:
- To the Government and the OPW, particularly Minister O’ Donovan, Minister Moran, Minister O’ Donnell and your officials - thank you and your Departments for your belief and commitment to balanced regional development.
- To the team at Limerick Twenty Thirty, particularly Enda Power, Darren Horan, Diarmuid Hayes - as your shareholder, I am proud of you all and your ongoing work and a commitment to delivery.
- To my colleagues at Limerick City & County Council under Dr Pat Daly - thank you for your continued guidance and work.
- And most of all, to the people of Limerick - thank you for your patience, your spirit and your trust as we continue to deliver for you.
In closing, let us take a moment to acknowledge what has been achieved at the site and elsewhere across our city centre.
Let us also be clear about what comes next.
We must keep building, investing, advocating and delivering.
We must keep connecting Limerick to Ireland, to Europe and to the world.
Momentum, once built, must be sustained.
Standing here today, in the heart of our city, I am more confident than ever that Limerick is doing just that.
Thank you.