Architecture of Limerick - 20th Century

20th Century

From the period of Irish Independence right up to the 1960s there was very little development in Limerick. Housing had become a major problem as many of the city's poorer residents lived in overcrowded slums, streets and laneways in the oldest parts of the city. Life in these parts of the city in the early 20th Century are perhaps best described in the worldwide best seller Angelas Ashes written by Frank McCourt. During the 1960s Limerick Corporation began to clear the slums and laneways by relocating families to new large council estates on the edge of the city. The estates were built primarily in Moyross, Southill, the Island Field (St. Marys Park) and Ballinacurra Weston. Initially seen to be a success these estates began to experience high levels of disadvantage, unemployment, poverty and crime as was replicated in other parts of Ireland such as Ballymun. Today the estates can be described as Sink estates and are awaiting a massive regeneration project.

The city also expanded during this time with much development outside the city boundary creating new city suburbs. The most notable development is the University of Limerick in the suburb of Castletroy towards the eastern end of the city. UL is the location of the University Concert Hall, a 1000 seat venue on the university campus which is suitable for holding a wide variety of events. The UL arena, which opened in 2002 is Ireland's largest indoor complex. It consists of the National 50m Swimming Pool which is the only water facility in Ireland which has the approval of FINA, the international swimming body, and is the first in the country to be built to Olympic standards. The Arena's Indoor Sports Hall comprises 3,600 square metres laid out with four wood-sprung courts, catering for a variety of sports, a sprint track, an international 400m athletics track, and a 200m three-lane suspended jogging track. The facility also has a state-of-the-art cardiovascular and strength training centre, a weight-training room, team rooms, an aerobics studio and classroom areas. The Arena is often used by the Munster rugby team. On the southside of the city the Crescent Shopping Centre the largest shopping centre in Ireland outside Dublin was built in the suburb of Dooradoyle. It has a retail space of 100,000m squared with over 90 shops.

By the end of the 20th century and early 21st century Limerick's trend towards suburbanisation continued which has led to many concerns of the development of the city during this time particularly in relation to the amount of out-of-town retail developments which has reduced footfall on city centre streets.