Council planning to map public toilet spots across Limerick city centre

LIMERICK City and County Council are to develop a map showing the location of all the toilets in the city centre which are accessible to the public.

At present, there are just two stand-alone toilets, one outside People’s Park in Mallow Street, the other beside Dunnes Stores in Henry Street.

A charge is payable to access either one of these.

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But there are other toilet facilities which the general public can access in civic buildings when they are open.

This includes at the City Library at Barrow House in Michael Street, City Hall in Merchant’s Quay, the Limerick City Gallery of Art at Pery Square, and in Limerick Colbert bus and rail station.

There is a toilet at Arthur’s Quay Shopping Centre - here, it will cost you 30c to spend a penny.

At this month’s metropolitan district meeting, Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely saw a motion calling for the introduction of a map to help visitors to the city centre, passed unanimously.

She believes doing this will increase the amount of time people remain in the city centre.

“From what I hear from people, it can be a deterrent. Access and inclusion are incredibly important, this includes toilet access,” she said.

The City West councillor has also called for engagement with Limerick Chamber and the traders’ group to perhaps agree to have some private toilets in shops added to the maps.

She believes Limerick City and County Council needs to “do better” when it comes to providing stand-alone toilet facilities.

“They are essential for people with medical conditions, pregnant women, our ageing citizens and children who may need frequent access. It promotes independence and dignity for people with disabilities, it makes public spaces and our city more welcoming and equitable,” Cllr Kiely added.

Council director Aidan Finn agreed to work to develop a map, while senior director Kieran Lehane said there is “merit” in the motion.

It was Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan who seconded Cllr Kiely’s proposal.

“I also think it’s a very gendered issue in the urban environment. We know women and pregnant people might need to use the toilet urgently. I’ve had conversations with older women who don’t like getting the bus into the city centre, particularly in the evening, as they’ve nowhere to access the toilet,” she said.

The City West councillor said there are always certain toilets in shops that people go into.

“I might rinse a bit of perfume on when I am using the ones in Brown Thomas,” she admitted.

“There are toilets like this, and it would be a nice gesture for people to know they are there to use for medical emergencies,” she said.

There was also support for the motion from Cllr Ursula Gavan, Independent and Cllr Shane Hickey-O’Mara, Social Democrats.

There is an unofficial website, launched in 2020, which identifies toilets in Limerick and across Ireland.

Pee.ie facilities across the city and county – from Henry Street’s toilets beside Dunnes Stores, to the loo in Centra in Bruff – and all in between!