02 April 2018

A corner shop in Limerick
brings together Georgian
and Victorian architecture

The corner of O’Connell Street and Shannon Street in Limerick … an interesting stucco shop front and Georgian townhouse (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

Patrick Comerford

O’Connell Street runs through the heart of Limerick, and still retains many of its original and once-elegant Georgian houses, first built as townhouses, but now mainly consisting of shopping units on the ground floors and office accommodation on the upper floors.

One eye-catching example of this combination of Georgian domestic architecture and Victorian stucco work as the houses were adapted to burgeoning commercial needs can be seen at Timberland, at 112 O’Connell Street.

This former townhouse stands at the corner of O’Connell Street and Shannon Street in the heart of Limerick’s commercial centre. Its place where these two important streets meets in the city centre gives this building additional value and architectural interest that enhance the streetscape.

No 112 is a four-storey-over basement brick building dating from around 1800, when it was built as a corner-site, end-of-terrace house. Two bays face onto O’Connell Street, but the five main bays face onto Shannon Street.

The building has an elaborate stucco-fronted shopfront, added around 1860 (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

I find the most interesting and engaging part of this building is the elaborate stucco-fronted shopfront that was added around 1860, providing at attractive ground-floor façade. There is a heavy cornice on the ground floor above the plain frieze and channel rusticated rendered walls on a moulded plinth course.

The five beautiful pilasters have flamboyant composite order capitals (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

Underneath the heavy black paint, there are five beautiful pilasters with flamboyant composite order capitals and alternate vermiculated blocks that occupy the building ends and also frame the door opening on Shannon Street.

There is a square-headed, fixed-pane glazed shopfront on the O’Connell Street front, while there are while four square-headed fixed-pane window openings on the Shannon Street front, corresponding to the bays above.

The roof is hidden behind a rebuilt parapet wall with covered coping, and the building also has a concealed basement.

At the most westerly bay on Shannon Street, there is a three-point arched door opening with a voussoired rendered surround, and this also has alternating vermiculated detail. Here there is a replacement timber-panelled door, but the overlight and sidelights are retained, along with the five original curved limestone steps.

Above, the building retains its Georgian upper floors. The red brick walls are laid in Flemish bond with cement pointing. There are red brick flat-arched window openings with patent rendered reveals and painted limestone sills, with replacement timber sash windows that have horns. There is some cylinder glass in the second-floor windows.

At the most westerly bay on Shannon Street, there is a three-point arched door opening (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2018)

A lecture in Lichfield
on the Wyatt family


The current edition of the monthly magazine CityLife In Lichfield [April 2018] includes the following listing on page 49 in the guide to what’s on in Lichfield this month:

Tuesday 24th April
Lichfield Civic Society
Meeting 7.45 p.m. Speaker Patrick Comerford on The Wyatt Family of Weeford. The Lichfield Room, Wade Street Church Community Hall, Frog Lane, Lichfield, WS13 6HS. Admission is free to members and students. Non-members are always welcome, £3 at the door.


Rathkeale Parish notes in
‘Newslink’ April 2018


Rathkeale & Kilnaughtin Group of Parishes

Rathkeale, Askeaton, Castletown & Kilnaughtin

Priest-in-Charge: The Revd Canon Patrick Comerford
The Rectory, Askeaton, Co Limerick.

Lent has passed and Easter, with all its hopes and joys, has dawned.

Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Sunday 1 April (Easter Day): 9.30, the Easter Eucharist (Holy Communion), Saint Mary’s Church, Askeaton; 11.30, the Easter Eucharist (Holy Communion), Saint Brendan’s Church, Kilnaughtin, Tarbert.

Sunday 8 April (Easter 2): 9.30, the Eucharist (Holy Communion 2), Castletown Church; 11.30, Morning Prayer, Holy Trinity Church, Rathkeale (with the Revd Joe Hardy).

Wednesday 11 April (The Annunciation): Because 25 March was Palm Sunday, the Feast of the Annunciation has been transferred in the Church Calendar to the week after Easter Week. The Feast of the Annunciation will be marked with a celebration of the Eucharist at 11 a.m. on Wednesday 11 April in Saint Mary’s Church, Askeaton.

Sunday 15 April (Easter 3): 9.30, Morning Prayer, Saint Mary’s, Askeaton; 11.30, the Eucharist (Holy Communion 2), Saint Brendan’s, Kilnaughtin, Tarbert, followed by Kilnaughtin Easter Vestry.

Sunday 22 April (Easter 4): 9.30, Morning Prayer, Castletown; 11.30, the Eucharist (Holy Communion 2), Holy Trinity, Rathkeale.

Sunday 29 April (Easter 5): 11 a.m., Joint Group Service for the Fifth Sunday of the Month: 11 a.m., the Eucharist (Holy Communion 2), Saint Mary’s Church, Askeaton.

Easter Vestries:

Castletown and Askeaton Easter Vestries: Thursday 12 April, 8 p.m., the Rectory, Askeaton.

Kilnaughtin (Tarbert) Easter Vestry: Sunday 15 April, after the Sunday service.

Rathkeale Easter Vestry: Monday 16 April, 8 p.m., the Rectory, Askeaton.

Recent activities in the Rectory:

All Things Are Possible:

Despite changing dates, the Lenten Study in the Rectory has been well-attended throughout the week, using the Lenten study course, ‘All Things Are Possible’, produced by the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel). This study course explored how faith in God can change the world.

What’s going on at the Rectory:

The Rectory played host during Lent to a training day for clergy and readers in the diocese, looking at maintaining a sustainable life of daily prayer that supports us in ministry.

The parish plays host to this group again in May, when readers and clergy look at different styles of worship. This takes place in Saint Mary’s Church, Askeaton, on Monday 28 May, and is being led by both the Revd Michael Cavanagh and Canon Patrick Comerford.