Limerick Corporation
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Limerick City Council ( ga, Comhairle Cathrach Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
in the city of
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
in Ireland. The council had 17 elected members. The head of the council had the title of Mayor. Limerick City Council was the smallest local council in Ireland by area (20.35 km2) and 30th (out of 34 authorities) in terms of population. It was abolished in 2014 when the
Local Government Reform Act 2014 The Local Government Reform Act 2014 (No. 1) is an act of the Oireachtas which provided for a major restructuring of local government in Ireland with effect from the 2014 local elections. It merged some first-tier county and city councils, ...
was implemented. It was succeeded by Limerick City and County Council.


History

The council was formerly known as Limerick Corporation after the City of Limerick received its Charter of Incorporation from King
John I of England John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Empi ...
in 1197. The first Mayor of Limerick was Adam Sarvant. Between 1197 and 1651, Limerick City Council was dominated by English settlers. The period between 1651 and 1656 was a break in the existence of Limerick Corporation. This came about by the surrender of the Old English settlers to Cromwellian forces in 1651. During this time, the city was administered by a Military Governor. In 1656, the corporation was restored, but under Protestant rule. Catholics who had previously run the corporation were excluded from taking part in local government. There was a brief Catholic restoration of power in 1687 when Lord Tyrconnal, appointed by
James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...
, deposed the Protestant Mayor and his sheriffs and replaced them with a Catholic Mayor, one Catholic and one Protestant sheriff. Limerick Corporation would remain in Catholic control until the
Treaty of Limerick }), signed on 3 October 1691, ended the 1689 to 1691 Williamite War in Ireland, a conflict related to the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War. It consisted of two separate agreements, one with military terms of surrender, signed by commanders of a Frenc ...
in October 1691. Between 1691 and 1841, Limerick Corporation was ruled by only a few powerful families. This period is known both as "The long eighteenth Century" and the "Corrupt Corporation". The Corrupt Corporation was brought to an end after the passing of the
Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Act 1840 The Municipal Corporations Act (Ireland) 1840 (3 & 4 Vict. c. 108), ''An Act for the Regulation of Municipal Corporations in Ireland'', was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 10 August 1840. It was one of the Municipal Corporati ...
. The act also brought an end to Protestant control of the council. Limerick had its first female Mayor in 1921 Alderman Maire O'Donovan was appointed Mayor while the incumbent of the position was fund-raising for the newly established government of Ireland in the United States. She held the position for seven months, from 21 May 1921 until 30 January 1922. The Limerick City Management Act 1934 took away much of the day-to-day responsibilities from the Mayor and gave it to an appointed City Manager. The powers of the Mayor had been greatly reduced since the 1934 Act and the role was mainly ceremonial. The Mayor chaired city council meetings. Following the enactment of the
Local Government Act 2001 The Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37) was enacted by the Oireachtas on 21 July 2001 to reform local government in the Republic of Ireland. Most of the provisions of the Act came into operation on 1 January 2002. The act was a restatement and a ...
, Limerick Corporation became Limerick City Council. Throughout its history Limerick City Council has met in a number of different locations. One of the earliest known locations was the Tholsel building on Mary Street. This building had various different uses throughout its history. Prior to being demolished in the early 20th century, it was in use as a women's gaol. In medieval times Limerick Corporation moved to the Exchange building on Nicholas Street beside St. Mary's Cathedral. All that remains of the Exchange building is a row of Tuscan columns in the wall surrounding the graveyard of St. Mary's Cathedral. The Exchange was replaced by the new
Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
on Rutland Street which was built in the 1800s. The Rutland Street site continued in use until 1990 when Limerick Corporation moved to a new purpose built building on Merchants Quay. On 28 June 2011, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan announced that Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council would be merged into a single local council. The merger came into effect following the 2014 local elections.


Seats

For the purposes of elections, the
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
was divided into three local electoral areas: Limerick East (4), Limerick North (6) and Limerick South (7).


See also

*
Limerick City Gallery of Art Limerick City Gallery of Art (LCGA; ga, Gailearaí Ealaíon Chathair Luimní) is an art museum in the city of Limerick, Ireland. It is run by Limerick City Council and is located in Pery Square, in the Newtown Pery area of the city. The galle ...
*
Limerick City Museum Limerick Museum, previously known as the Jim Kemmy Municipal Museum, is a city museum in Limerick, Ireland. Foundation The Limerick Museum was founded in 1907 and in the Carnegie Free Library and Museum building (established by Andrew Carnegie ...


References

{{Local government in the Republic of Ireland Politics of Limerick (city) Former local authorities in the Republic of Ireland 2014 disestablishments in Ireland 1898 establishments in Ireland