Limerick councillors back city task force request to Martin and Harris
Limerick councillors have agreed to write to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris asking for a Limerick City Task Force. The request, backed by members of the metropolitan district, seeks a government-backed structure with actions aimed at Limerick city and its specific challenges.
Olivia O'Sullivan, a Fine Gael metropolitan councillor, said the city should have the same kind of focused attention already seen elsewhere. She said, “As Ireland’s third city, it is high time a task force was created for Limerick.”
O'Sullivan cites Dublin and Cork
O'Sullivan pointed to Dublin’s action group, which has been focused on rejuvenating the capital’s city centre since 2024. David McRedmond has chaired that group since 2024, and O'Sullivan said the task force there was mandated to take an evidence-informed approach and make recommendations to improve the city centre’s public realm, safety, and experience.
She also cited Dublin plans unveiled in February to regenerate the city centre, including a request for €114m from Government and 10 recommendations. Brendan Tuohy chairs the Cork City Futures Group, which was established on April 1. The Limerick request is being framed against those examples, but with a call for a body tailored to Limerick rather than a general city policy.
Metropolitan councillors back the letter
The call came from Fine Gael’s metropolitan councillors Olivia O'Sullivan, Daniel Butler, Dan McSweeney, Sarah Kiely and Peter Doyle, with Doyle chairing the economic committee. Their agreement means the letter will now go to Martin and Harris as a formal request from the metropolitan district.
O'Sullivan said, “As Ireland’s third city, it is now Limerick City’s turn to have a task force created by government with mandated actions specific to Limerick city and our unique challenges,” placing the focus on actions rather than another statement of support. That leaves the request in the hands of the two ministers named in the letter.
Martin and Harris
The next step is the government response to the letter, with councillors asking for a task force that can follow the Dublin and Cork models while addressing Limerick’s own city-centre issues. For residents and businesses, the immediate question is whether the request becomes a formal government initiative or stays a council ask.
