A celebration of Limerick’s rich history of pubs

THE RICH history of Limerick’s pubs and bars will be celebrated in a new book which will be launched this Wednesday.

William Banks and Mary Immaculate College historian Dr Paul O’Brien have spent the past 12 months putting together the comprehensive guide covering hostelries in Limerick from 1858 to the present day.

They’ve researched over 1,000 local pubs and publicans who have traded in the city – and have even uncovered the names of publicans trading in the 1870s.

The result of their efforts is a 270-page book, containing over 400 images of pubs in Limerick from yesteryear.

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Entitled Taprooms, Taverns and Alehouses: Limerick City Pubs, it will, quite appropriately, be launched in a city centre bar.

Mother Mac’s in High Street will play host to the event at 8.30pm next Wednesday, July 10.

“It’s a real social history of the city,” Dr O’Brien said. “Limerick used to have many home-grown industries: bacon factories, milling, flouring and so-forth. A lot of pubs sprung up in the vicinity of where this was happening. So you would have tales of dockers or men who worked in bacon factories going into the pub for a couple of pints on their lunch breaks, or before they went home in the evening time.

“When I interviewed some of the older publicans in the city like Dave Hickey in South’s, or the Flannery brothers, they tell stories of hearing the fog-horn going off down at the docks when it’s break time, and a sea of bicycles appearing at the Crescent, up O’Curry Street, all around. And there’d be mountains of bicycles against the wall of the pub outside.”

Asked if any surprises cropped up in the book, he added: “Around 55% to 60% of the pubs in the city were legally owned by women. It was their name on the licence. If you consider today in the city, there are very few with female publicans, it’s interesting. So that’s a huge change, and a change people haven’t realised.”

Another change, sadly, has seen the number of pubs close steadily: both authors believe up to 110 have poured their final pint since the 1970s.

All proceeds from the book, priced at €35 for a paperback, €45 for a hardback, go to Down Syndrome Limerick.

Signed copies will be available at the launch.