TUESDAY,JANUARY 2, 2018 €1.20 LIMERICK AND PROUD facebook.com/limerickleader @limerick_leader www.limerickleader.ie WHERE SOLD LET’SCELEBRATE! HITSFROMTHE 1980s MAKE FORA‘DYNAMITE’NIGHT PAGE 14 Welcome to 2018 NEWYEAR’S ORIGINAL BABIESGIVE ADDED JOY OPERA PLAN HAD PAGE 3 Book of the year LOCALFACES SHARE THEIR HOUSING BEST OF 2017 the‘preliminary capacitystudy’pre- NICK RABBITTS e-mail: [email protected] paredbythe city’s senior executive Twitter: @nick468official architect Seamus Hanrahan out- lined theproposal,withformer city THE original plans forProject managerTom Mackey addingthe Operaincluded 161 housing units in sitecould “comfortably accom- thescheme,the Limerick Chronicle modate” both social and affordable can reveal. housing. Amidpersistentcalls forresiden- Planswerealso in place fora tial units in the€150m project,ithas “large departmentstore”withits The bells were ringing outfor 2018 PAGE 15 nowcome to lightthatdaysbeforese- main entrance at theEllen Street- curing fundingtobuy thesitefrom Michael Streetjunction. Nama, council bosses outlined plans Instead,afresh blueprintun- IN keeping with along tradition, the bells rang out on the stroke of midnight on for59units in existing buildings and veiledforthe€150mproposalearlier NewYear'sEve at St Mary'sCathedral in the citytoring in 2018. Pictured 102new homes. wishing each other well forthe year ahead were locals Sarah Mooreand Documentsreleased underthe Audrey O'Connell. Formoreonthis story, including the postponementofthe Freedom of InformationAct, show CONTINUEDONPAGE2 NewYear's Evefireworks display, seepagefour PICTURE:BRENDAN GLEESON 9Catherine Street, Limerick Casual Wear Tel: 061-412091 Email: [email protected] Tailoring Web: www.mikeoconnells.com Formal Wear 2 LIMERICK CHRONICLE Tuesday, January 2, 2018 YOUR CHRONICLE WEATHER CONTACTUS Check updateson limerickleader.ie PICTURE OF THE WEEK 54 O’Connell Street,Limerick www.limerickleader.ie EDITOR Eugene Phelan TODAY 061-214503 MOSTLYCLOUDY [email protected] WITH RAIN TAPERING OFF -HIGH OF 10°C COMMERICAL DIRECTOR Fergal Deegan 061-214525 [email protected] TOMORROW ● Main switchboard forour office at REMAINING 54 O’Connell Street,Limerick Call us on CLOUDYWITH A 061-214500 COUPLE OF SHOWERS ● Tell us your story E-mail us at [email protected] ● Place an advert E-mail us at [email protected] ● Photographic sales THURSDAY Copiesofpictures takenbyour photo- graphersaswell as the archivephoto- CLOUDYAND graphs in all our editions can be ordered COOLER WITH A from our office at 54 O’Connell Street, Lim- LITTLE RAIN erick. Theycan also be orderedonline from -HIGHOF11°C [email protected] or through our website www.limerickleader.ie The policyofthe Limerick Leader is to provide our The Limerick Chronicle hasthe readerswith anewsand proud distinction of being Ireland’s information service that oldest newspaperand hasbeen is fair,accurateand bal- publishedcontinuously since 1768, anced. This newspaper adheres to the Code of morethan 120years before its Practice setout by the ‘You go first.’ ‘No yougo sisterpaper the Limerick Leader PressCouncil of Ireland first appearedin1889. Formany and is committedtothe first!’: Brian Dillon, John yearsthe twotitleswererivals but highest standards of re- Ryan and Mark Dempsey the Chronicle was boughtbythe porting.Ifwemakea preparethemselves to jump Limerick Leader in the 1950s, since mistake,wewill en- into the Shannon during the deavour to correctitat when theyhavebeenpart of the Curraghgour Boat Club St same newspaper‘stable’, and the earliest opportunity. In such instances,please Stephen's Dayswim broughttoyou by thesameteamof writetothe editor at 54 PICTURE: DERMOTLYNCH award-winning journalists. The O’Connell Street, Lim- Chronicle shares its sisterpaper’s erick, or email ed- highly popular website [email protected] www.limerickleader.ie Alternatively youmay contact the PressCouncil of Ireland at 1-3 Westmo- reland Street, Dublin 2. Tel: (01) 6489130. Email: INSIDE YOUR CHRONICLE TWEETS OF THE WEEK Since 1768 [email protected] Startthe New Year off right @Nigelrefowens MeghannMix: Meghann Lovely table setupbyJohn Lacey Scully shareher toptips fair play. Alovely Christmas formaintaining those dinner justhad hereinLimerick. tricking NewYear’s Thank youfor the welcome. Resolutions Page 18 We want to hear your news andviews @limerick_leader NEWS ...................................................1-12 PICTURE SPECIAL .......................14 BOOK OF THE YEAR ....................15 @ckSportLeader @ThomasG06097119 OUT&ABOUT.......................................16 Wasnice to go to the Chil- YOUR LOCALNEWS-ONLINE MEGHANNMIX.................................18 Keith Earls on CJ dren’s Ark Unit to help in FASHION........................................19-23 Stander: “You'd swearhe putting asmile on afew The websitefor theChronicle’s sisterpaper, PARENTING........................................24 grew up in Moyross with young faces. Unfortu- www.limerickleader.ie providesthe most comprehensiveand up HEALTHY LIVING ........................25 me now, he's apureMun- nately we’renot all to date news and sports service forthe people of Limerick, at ILOVELIMERICK .................... 26-27 ILoveLimerick: ster man" blessed to be at home home and abroad, sevendaysaweek. Logonfor the latest CLASSIFIEDS............................28-29 with family on Christmas developments broughttoyou by our unrivalledteam. Highlights from 2017 SPORT.............................................. 30-31 Pages 26-27 day Tue sday, Januar y2,20 1 8 LIMERICK CHRONICLE 3 N EWS BLISS: TWO GIRLS AMONG FIRST BORN IN 2018 New arrivals bring added joy JESS CA S EY e-mail: j es s . c as e y@ l i m e r i c k l ead e r. i e Twitter: Jes s _ J C as e y FOLLOWING a mad dash from Newport to University Maternity Hospital Lim- erick, proud mum Mar- MOTOR garet Earle gave birth to one of the first babies born LOAN in 2018. Margaret and her husband Ed welcomed theirlittle 7.5%* baby girl to the world at 2.55am on New Year’s Day,weighing 7lbs 8oz. Ten days overdue, their d aug hte r ’s “long awaited” arrival was preceded by a frantic dashto thehospital Proud mum Margaret Earle and her newborn daughter at the from Newport. University Maternity Hospital Limerick. PICTURE: LIAM BURKE PRESS 22 “I feel euphoric but Blissful mum Shakira t i re d ,” Ms Earle said. “I went Ryan, from Knocklong, also to bed for about half an hour Toying welcomed ababy girlto the before my waters broke. It world at the MaternityHos- was very, very close. I was pitalon New Year’s Day. starting topush aswe Ms Ryan, a nurse at Leeds crossed the river. Poor Ed! General Hospital, had re- “He was grand until we turned home for with got to Annacottybut then he C h r i s tm a s . “I plannedit got nervous. We arrived lit- well really,”she laughed. Ms erally in the nick of time. I Ryanand her partner Ian could feel the pressure of the Rush arestill deciding on a baby coming when we ar- name for their baby girl. “I t ’s Come and talk to us rived at the door.” Shakira Ryan and her newborn between Myah or Harper,” getting At the time of going to d au g hte r PICTURE: LIAM BURKE PRESS 22 Ms Ryan said. print, a name for the new ar- Their daughter joins big rival had yet to bedecided. brothers Eoin, age six, and brother Mason whois 13- Their newborn joins big Cian, age four. months old. acar? Come and talk to us Housing in original Opera plan ▲ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 mand”theseunits arebuilt, which will entice people back adding: “I think people de- from the suburbs to the city servetoknow when wasthis c e ntre.” this year by Limerick Twenty U-turn made and who agreed “In order to achieve this, Thirty – apublic body which to it?” in the current economic cli- has takenover therunning of Back in 2011, theold City mate, LimerickCity Council the site from council – Council wasgiven €12.5m must have control ofthe site showedthree towering office funding from theDepart- to ensure it is developed effi- blocks, but only limited com- mentof theEnvironmentto ciently and effectively to ad- mercial space. buy the PatrickStreet site dress the need for social and Crucially, no residential after plans for ashopping economic regenerationof units were included, centre fell through dueto the Limerick City,”he added. bringing aboutopposition economic downturn. Cllr Prendiville said: from many lobbies from the Aletter from Mr Mackey – “Somewhere between 2011 LimerickChamber to home- dated October 28, 2011 – and today, the councilgave lessness charity Novas. seeking funding underthe up on this plan for the city The development comes d e pa rtm e nt’s regeneration centre to be aplace to work, as councillors prepareto de- budget stated he believed the socialise and live. Precisely at bate the future of thesite in a OperaCentre offered oppor- the timewhen a need for so- meeting this morning. tunities to deliver both social cial housing and affordable Now, CllrCian Prendi- and private housing “wh ic h mortgages was growing, the ville, who has campaigned will increase demand in the council turned its backs to for housing in the €150m city centre”, as well as provide 160apartments on plan says peoplemust “de - providing “new civic spaces the site.” 4LIMERICK CHRONICLE Tue sday, Januar y 2, 20 1 8 N EWS NEW YEAR: DISAPPOINTMENT AT CANCELLATION OF FIREWORKS BUT TRADITIONAL BELL RINGING GOES ON Spectacular sounds of St Mary ’s bells ring in 2018 JESS CA S EY e-mail: j es s i c a . c as e y@ l i m e r i c k l ead e r. i e Twitter: @ Jes s _ J C as e y WHILE there was wide- spread disappointment across Limerick at the can- cellation of the New Year’s Eve fireworks display, the age-old tradition of the bells at St Mary’s Cathedral went ahead, lifting spirits of young and old. Formore than 100 years, people have gathered out- side thecathedral to celeb- rate the start of a new year in thecity –and that tradi- tion shows nosign of abat i n g . And as the clocks struck into 2018, the spectacular sound of thetolling bells Beginning 2018 with a smile: Sophie Bannon, Julie Jackman, Katie O'Halloran and Lilly Halloran, Breda McLoughlin with Sean and Ciara O'Dwyer who welcomed filled the air.