O'Connell Street, Limerick

Daniel O'Connell is called the Liberator. After the Catholic Emancipation Bill had been signed by King George IV in 1829, O'Connell became the first Catholic in the British Parliament. In 1857 a monument to O'Connell was unveiled in the Crescent of George Street. But it was not until 1913 that George Street became O'Connell Street.

In 1765, Edmund Sexton Pery, a leading politician of Limerick City, commissioned engineer and architect Davis Ducart to design a town plan. The town was to be built on Pery's land on the south side of Limerick. The development was known as Newtown Pery. Along with George Street, it was built in the Georgian style.

The street and Newtown Pery prospered. The area had spacious Georgian-built houses and wide streets. It attracted the wealthier denizens of Limerick's Englishtown district. George Street soon became the retail and commercial center of the city. It remains so today. Some examples of Georgian architecture remain on O'Connell Street.

Extensive investment has poured into O'Connell Street. The Rugby Experience Building, designed by architect Niall McLaughlin has changed the skyline. The old coal bunkers are now wine bars. The street is also home to traditional pubs and restaurants. A vast renovation project involving limestone paving and flower gardens has revitalized O'Connell Street.