Back in 2007 it was suggested that this grotto at Pier Head on the Marina should be relocated to the new Blackrock park to allow improved vehicular access to the slipways. When I visited in September 2018 and August 2021 it was still at its original location … I wonder what happened.
Note: Pier Head may actually refer to a Pub or a restaurant rather than the actual location of the grotto.
A short distance from the village is Blackrock Castle. There has been a castle on the site since medieval times but the present castle was built in the mid-19th century in mock-baronial style. It now houses an observatory and planetarium.
The Marina, a tree-lined avenue (not strictly a marina) runs along the southern bank of the River Lee from Blackrock Village past Páirc Uí Chaoimh and is a used for a number of recreational activities such as rowing, walking and cycling. The Atlantic Pond, in the shadow of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, is also used by walkers and is populated by wildlife, mainly ducks and swans.
Dundanion Castle, overlooking the Marina but difficult to access, is a ruined 16th-century castle. It is from this spot that William Penn reputedly sailed on his first voyage to America in 1682 before founding the state of Pennsylvania.
ENTRANCE TO THE LIMERICK EDUCATE TOGETHER SECONDARY SCHOOL
I was aware of this Marian Grotto but could never find it until today when I came across it by accident when I noticed a lady bring some flowers up a narrow path.
It is located at the entrance to the Limerick Educate Together Secondary School on the North Circular Road. Initially I thought that it was on private property but there does appear to be separate public access.
The North Circular Road, often referred to as NCR, is a residential road on the northside of Limerick. Historically one of the more sought-after addresses in the city, house prices on the North Circular Road have declined since the Celtic Tiger though it remains one of the more prosperous areas of the city.
John F. Kennedy Memorial School, a primary school for boys, and Salesian Infant School Fernbank for girls are located on the east side of the North Circular Road, as is the large public secondary school for boys Ardscoil Rís. Salesian Secondary School was a public secondary school for girls previously situated on the North Circular Road. However, in 2015, Salesian merged with St Nessan’s Community College and formed Thomond Community College, based at St Nessan’s former location in Woodview, Caherdavin. The North Circular Road is also home to Villiers School, a private, Protestant secondary school.
Educate Together is an educational charity in Ireland which is the patron body to “equality-based, co-educational, child centred, and democratically run” schools. It was founded in 1984 to act as the patron body for the new multi-denominational schools that opened after the establishment of the Dalkey School Project. As of 2019, Educate Together is the patron of 90 national schools in Ireland. In 2014 three Educate Together Second Level Schools opened in Dublin 15, Drogheda and Lucan along with the first Educate Together school outside Ireland, in Bristol in the United Kingdom. In joint patronage with Kildare and Wicklow ETB, Educate Together opened another second-level school, Celbridge Community School, in 2015.
Limerick ETSS is Limerick’s newest Secondary School. The school opened its doors in August 2018 to its first cohort of 55 students and 12 staff. The school, based in Limerick City, is currently using the old Salesian’s Secondary School in Fernbank as a temporary home.
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