Looking Back to Look Ahead

Our Presidents Outlook

Over the course of its 217 years, the Limerick Chamber has been witness to and an active participant in history in the making. And that continues to be the case. As we look forward to the coming centuries, it’s important to take stock of where we’ve come from, alongside a view toward the future. Our most recent bicentennial Chamber President Catherine Duffy and our current 2022 Limerick Chamber President Donal Cantillon both have insights to offer as we look back to look ahead.

When Catherine Duffy relocated to Limerick to take up a position as General Manager of Northern Trust, one of the first things she did was join the Limerick Chamber. She was quickly accepted onto the board, “There were 20 of us on the board, and immediately I had 19 friends, 19 helpers, 19 people I could collaborate with, 19 people I could pick up the phone to ask them for help. And they did help me.”

That can-do spirit of collaboration both helped Catherine acclimatise to a new city and inspired her to continue her work with the Limerick Chamber, taking on the position as its president in 2015. During her tenure, the board sought to bolster its ranks to ensure it was able to help the region as much as possible, “We worked on the board to make sure we had the right people on it,” Catherine explained.

Throughout this time, the board also created forums that would allow leadership to better understand the needs of business owners in Limerick as well as the greater Limerick area. ”We knew we needed to hold the correct forums as well as make sure we had the correct experts at them who either had an interest in those issues or who would be able to solve those issues.”

Job creation was a particularly important issue at the time, as was improving the retail experience in Limerick city, including working for the purple flag, which indicates that retail, arts and culture locations, pubs, restaurants, and more, could open late to serve more customers. “This involved getting the retailers on board,” Catherine explained, and began to set the groundwork for the 2030 strategic plan. “We really had to ask, what kind of city do we want?”

Of course, during this time period, the Limerick Chamber also looked outward toward job creation and infrastructure expansion in the greater Shannon area, including ongoing discussions about the motorway, which is still being discussed to this day. “I do see the area evolving. I know it’s taking time,” Catherine said, “but there’s a great master plan there.”

Catherine has continued to work with the Limerick Chamber on strategic partnerships even after handing over the reins, “They helped me at the very beginning, so I’m always here to help them.”

As we look forward, current 2022 Limerick Chamber President Donal Cantillon explained that the organisation has continued to build on the work of earlier generations. “While there are other business groups, the Chamber has over 200 years speaking for local business on matters affecting Limerick and the region,” he said, “This may make the organisation old, but it remains dynamic and needed as a voice for those who don’t have one.”

Even throughout the COVID-19 period, the Limerick Chamber has been pushing full speed ahead to ensure that it reflects the needs and desires of its members and the citizens of the Midwest region. There have been many big gains made during that time, including a few particularly gratifying highlights, including work on the Foynes to Limerick road which recently received planning permission, the near completion of the O’Connell Street renovation works, and the live launch of the Strategic Development Pipeline.

“The Chamber is proud of its role in lobbying government to back the Foynes to Limerick Road, including the Adare bypass,” Donal said. The project received An Bord Pleanola’s approval in late August, which was a major step in the right direction. Donal explained, “While project progress may be impacted by Judicial Review, it is progressing and we continue to maintain a strong watching brief to ensure its implementation, with phase one hopefully completed in time for the Ryder Cup in 2027.”

In addition to that successful milestone, the Chamber is looking forward to the completion of the O’Connell Street works over the coming months. Donal reported, “The O’Connell Street completion will positively impact the public realm and how local citizens interact with the city.”

The strategic development pipeline, which went live recently, was a direct result of the research the Chamber undertook

to provide a point of contact for citizens and stakeholders regarding upcoming public projects in the region. “It will also help to ensure greater accountability around delivery of those public projects across the region,” Donal explained. Many of those projects are the responsibility of Limerick City and County Council, and this Public Dashboard will help ensure greater accountability around unlocking Limerick city’s tremendous potential.

And as we look forward, one of the top priorities for the Chamber is to continue to be active in seeking to provide solutions to the climate crisis facing the country, Europe, and the wider world. “I am delighted to say that Limerick Chamber has been very active in this space and have made various submissions and recommendations to the Government regarding our energy security,” Donal said. In addition to these submissions, the Chamber has a seat on the Shannon Estuary Economic Task Force looking at the offshore wind opportunity off the west coast, and has maintained support for the Shannon Foynes Port’s “Vision 2041” as well as for the new Fortress Energy Shannon LNG project.

In an effort to make even further strides in the energy sector, the Limerick Chamber will be hosting an Energy Conference in January that will aim to bring together the key stakeholders who can make these ideas a reality for our region. Donal explained, “Our goal is to go from being an energy importer to being “The Battery of Europe” — an energy exporter,” he said, “And we’ll get to reap all the benefits that come with that status – greater energy security, price stability, employment and regional development.”

As the Limerick Chamber looks toward the start of 2023, future Presidents will have a strong foundation to continue to build for the people and businesses of Limerick.