This is the third of three site visits organised by the Irish Architecture Foundation aimed at sharing knowledge among those who are bringing vacant properties back into use. Each site visit is hosted by a property owner who is undertaking their own project, followed by a nearby cup of tea and chat. This will be a chance to swap tips, woes and joys, and learn from other people undertaking this labour of love. You can view videos of the previous site visits here.

This site visit will be to the Georgian neighbourhood in Limerick city.

We will visit a building that started its life as a residential end of terrace, dating possibly to the early 1800s. It is located near the river on slightly elevated ground and may originally have looked down on a floating dock where ships onboarded passengers to North America. The building has undergone many transformations, having served as a provisions shop for boats, a wedding dress shop, an electronics shop, a medical supply store, and a Tibetan meditation centre, among other things. It has undergone two major renovations in which the basement was rendered uninhabitable and all historical features were removed.

The current owners bought the house in 2021 as a commercial property and are giving it another life by restoring its residential purpose, room by room, window by window, layer by layer… with some surprises along the way!

Intrigued? Join the site visit to learn the whole story, meet the hosts and others engaged in similar projects.

Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.

New Life for Old Buildings is part of our Reimagine placemaking programme and is supported by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Photo courtesy of Samira Kaissi.