Not necessarily the best photograph to have been shown here, but it gives some idea of an exhibition currently running at 5 Rutland Street, Limerick. The house dates from the 1770s and is one of a terrace that marks both chronologically and literally the onset of the city’s Newtown Pery district. After serving as a butcher’s shop, in recent years the premises – like its neighbours – has stood empty and neglected. However, overseen by conservation architect Cáit ni Cheallachain and historian Dr Ursula Callaghan, and as part of the local Irish Georgian Society chapter’s contribution to Limerick City of Culture leaks have been fixed, an outbreak of dry rot arrested, wallpaper stripped, paintwork cleaned (including all the staircase banisters), and the entire site given a fresh purpose: as a Pop Up Museum exploring aspects of Limerick’s rich cultural heritage from the Georgian era. This is an imaginative and exciting initiative showing what can be done in a building that otherwise risked becoming further prey to vandalism and decay. The Pop Up Museum is open at weekends from 10am to 5pm and on Wednesday evenings from 4pm to 9pm and runs until the end of this month: pop in while you can.
Robert,
Thank you so much for this! Great praise for the project and our numbers should truly double after this! It was great to see you last Monday and thank you for taking the time to visit. Your support meant a lot to both myself and Cait and the volunteers from the chapter such Tessa Kelleher, Liam Irwin and Emma Gilleece. If by chance people do contact you re a visit to Pop Up Museum feel free to give them my number and we will facilitate viewings at times that might suit if weekends are not suitable for them. Looking forward to your talk on the impending demise of the big house on 14th October and venue still to be agreed, but we will take care of you.
thanks so much for your kind words Robert – it means a great to the Limerick Chapter to be mentioned in your great blog.
Both you and Ursula are most welcome and congratulations on all your hard work!