Thomond Park is an award-winning stadium in more ways than one

Thomond Park … a stadium for winners and an award-winning design (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Patrick Comerford

No, I have not been converted. Although I have been living in Co Limerick for almost 10 months, I am still a Leinster fan. My roots in Wexford and Dublin and many years of fun and pleasure are not going to change my loyalties. Although my mother’s family is from North Cork, I am still a Leinster fan.

But one recent morning in Limerick, I decided to walk out to Thomond Park, the home of Munster. The stadium is owned by the Irish Rugby Football Union, but is really the home of Munster Rugby, and home too to Shannon RFC and UL Bohemian RFC.

Thomond Park is the result of a large-scale redevelopment in 2008 and today has a capacity of the stadium is 25,630.

With its unique history and atmosphere, Thomond Park has a special place in rugby. Thomond Park has hosted five Ireland internationals, with the first played in 1899 against Wales. This is where Munster beat the All Blacks 12-0 in 1978, and this where Munster had a 12-year unbeaten run in the Heineken Cup, from 1995 until 2007, when Munster lost 13-6 to the Leicester Tigers.

Originally there were two pitches at Thomond Park, the main pitch and a training pitch, and two pavilions, belonging to Shannon pavilion and the Bohemian.

In the past, the terraces had their own names, including the ‘Popular side,’ the ‘Stand side,’ the ‘City End’ and the ‘Ballynanty End.’ Those terraces have been transformed, but the traditional songs and anthems of the home fans still include The Fields Of Athenry and Stand Up And Fight. The home crowd is also famous for its silence when a player is kicking for goal.

Work on redeveloping Thomond Park began ten years ago (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Work on redeveloping Thomond Park began ten years ago in early 2007, and the project was completed for a re-opening in Autumn 2008. Maintaining the atmosphere and close relationship between players and spectators was key requirement of the brief. Two new stands were built at the main pitch, with a seating capacity of 15,100 and terrace capacity of 10,530.

The key design aspirations, in addition to fulfilling the requirements of the brief, were as follows.

● To ensure a positive impact on the cityscape and skyline, given its elevated site in relation to the surrounding city.

● To integrate the building with its immediate context. The existing buildings in the area are predominantly two-storey houses to the north and south of the stadium, so it was a challenge to incorporate a large structure into these surroundings.

The three-dimensional form of the stands is a direct product of achieving optimum viewing for all spectators. The optimum functional layout of a rugby or soccer stadium is generated by accommodating all spectators within 90 metres of the centre of the pitch and within 150 metres of all four corners of the playing surface. This generates an ‘orange segment’ profile, where the maximum number of spectators is concentrated on the centreline.

The fact that Thomond Park is not enclosed on all four sides is important so that views into and out of the stadium are maintained. A ‘bowl’ type stadium would eliminate the visual and acoustic connection with the city. Instead, the barking dogs of Ballynanty and the hum of traffic on Cratloe Road add to the atmosphere when silence descends on the stadium before that goal kick.

These important aspects are part of the distinctive character of Thomond Park. It is no wonder, then, that the home of Munster rugby secured another victory in 2009 when Thomond Park was crowned the people’s choice at the Irish Architecture Awards. The €40 million redeveloped stadium pulled in more than one-third of the 5,000 online votes in the public award.

Hugh Murray, of Murray O’Laoire Architects, said he was proud of the stadium as an architect, a Limerick man and a Munster supporter. ‘Maintaining the atmosphere and close relationship between players and spectators was a key requirement of the brief,’ he said.

Since then, Thomond Park has also been the venue for concerts by many artists, including Elton John (2009), Rod Stewart (2009), Bob Dylan (2010), the Cranberries (2010), and Bruce Springsteen (2013).

In August 2013, Thomond Park was named the ‘Best Rugby Stadium in the World' in a vote by Rugby supporters around the world.

When Thomond Park was being redeveloped, rugby fans feared it would be renamed in a sponsorship deal. Thankfully, the name of Thomond Park has been retained with naming rights instead being sold for the individual stands.

If only the same had happened at Lansdowne Road.

Thomond Park remains the home of Munster fans (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

A stroll through the heart of Thomondgate in old Limerick

In the heart of Thomondgate … an area of Limerick with 88 years of history (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Patrick Comerford

As I was waiting between buses in Limerick earlier this week, I cross Thomond Bridge and strolled through Thomondgate, one of the old, traditional areas of Limerick, on the north side of the River Shannon, opposite Saint Mary’s Cathedral.

In the past, Thomondgate provided the link between the Englishtown area of Limerick City on one side of the river, and the Kingdom of Thomond or Co Clare on the other bank of the river.

The mediaeval city of Limerick was confined to the Englishtown area until Thomondgate and the ‘Northern’ Liberties were granted to Limerick in 1216. Thomondgate was connected to Limerick by Thomond Bridge over the River Shannon.

Co Clare was shired or created in 1565, but this part of Limerick remained on the border between Munster and Connacht until Co Clare was annexed to Munster in 1602.

Although Thomondate survives as the name of one of the narrow, charming, winding streets in this part of Limerick, High Road was the main street in Thomondgate.

After the Siege of Limerick in 1690, it is said, the Treaty of Limerick was signed in 1691 in Thomondgate at the Treaty Stone, which now stands on a pedestal on Clancy Strand.

Following the Treaty of Limerick, the area was settled with many families of Dutch weavers, whose trade flourished until the early 19th century. The area also had a quarry, and a distillery that survived until the early 1920s.

Thomond House … a reminder of longer and more difficult journeys between Limerick and Dublin (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)

Thomond House is an elegant survival from the late 18th century. This house, which is now a women’s refuge, is one of the few surviving 18th century houses in Thomondgate. It is a three-storey, five-bay, gable ended house, was once the home of John Buchanan, the first person to organise a regular coach service between Limerick and Dublin – a journey that took four days, compared to a bus journey of 2½ hours today. With the introduction of newer and better coaches, the journey was cut to two days, and then halved again to one day.

Today, Thomondgate is a mainly working class district of the city and has grown rapidly over the past years.

In the heart of this district, JJ Bowles at No 8 Thomondgate, which backs onto the riverbank, is one of the surviving traditional pubs, and popular with Munster rugby supporters.

The pub takes its name from JJ Bowes (1879-1948) from Thomondgate, who lived here. He was the Irish Handball Champion for almost 25 years and who contested the World Championship in New York in 1909.

This end-of-terrace two-bay two-storey rendered public house, seems to date from 1794, making it one of the contenders for the title of the oldest pub in Limerick. Some sources point out that the building claims to date back to the 1600s, but while the pitch of the roof and the thick walls indicate this earlier date, it is difficult to give an accurate date for the building.

The 19th century timber shopfront has six Doric pilasters joined by a timber fascia with a cornice above, and two display windows rising from rendered stallrisers, with timber mullions and shoulder arches.

I walked through Thomdgate and along High Road as far as Thomond Park Stadium, the home of Munster Rugby, and also visited Saint Munchin’s Church on the corner of High Road, Thomondgate and Clancy Strand before having lunch in Jack Monday’s.

In Jack Monday’s, overlooking the banks of the Shannon, I heard stories about the Limerick Soviet. But these are stories for another day.

JJ Bowles … a contender for the title of the oldest pub in Limerick (Photograph: Patrick Comerford, 2017)