Press release
Minister Flanagan officially opens new courthouse as Supreme Court convenes in Limerick for first time
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The Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan TD, will today (Monday) officially open ‘the Courthouse, Mulgrave Street’ in Limerick. The Supreme Court will sit in the new courthouse for the next three days.
Speaking ahead of the official opening, which will also be attended by the Chief Justice, Minister Flanagan said:
"I am delighted to be in Limerick for the official opening of a new purpose built state of the art courthouse. This is also a historic occasion as the Supreme Court will sit in this new courthouse today and again tomorrow and Wednesday. This is the first time ever that the Supreme Court has visited Limerick and only the second time in history that the Supreme Court has convened outside Dublin, having visited Cork a number of years ago."
The new Courthouse, a €26 million capital project, is a welcome addition to court facilities in the area. It contains six courtrooms, including the largest courtroom in Ireland, 200m2 in size, which will primarily host District Court sittings. Located on a site bounded by Mulgrave Street and Roxboro Road close to Limerick Prison, the new Courthouse is built on the site of a former artillery barracks, one of four in existence in Limerick in the 19th century. With two of the barracks’ historically significant buildings remaining on the site, the project has delivered a landmark civic building while contributing to public access to an old institutional district of Limerick. It is an additional courthouse for the city as the historic ‘Circuit Courthouse’, located at Merchants Quay, will also continue in use.
The Minister added:
"Limerick, like other courthouses, engages daily with citizens dealing with criminal, civil and family law in both the District and Circuit Court. In 2016 alone, over 20,950 matters were dealt with across 408 court sitting days by the District Court sitting in Limerick city. In addition, the Circuit Court dealt with over 1,605 matters across 216 court sitting days. User facilities such as a vulnerable witness suite, victim support room, legal practitioners room, enhanced custody facilities, jury reception room, media room and consultation rooms are a welcome addition at the new Courthouse. I am confident that this new courthouse will meet the needs of Limerick and the surrounding area for many decades to come."
This project is one of a number of courthouse projects announced by the government in 2012. Limerick joins a group of completed courthouses comprising of Drogheda, Letterkenny and Wexford, with three further new courthouses or substantial refurbishments to be delivered around the country by Public Private Partnerships in 2018. In terms of scale, the Courts PPP Bundle is the largest capital building project ever undertaken by the Courts Service, delivering a total of 31 courtrooms and 36,000 m2 of accommodation nationwide.
ENDS
The new courthouse has a floor area of over 7,600m2. The capital cost was c.€26m. Facilities include six courtrooms and a public office. User facilities include a vulnerable witness suite, victim support room, legal practitioners room, enhanced custody facilities, jury reception room, media room and consultation rooms. All circulation routes within the building – public, staff/judiciary, custody and jury are fully accessible. The building contains the largest courtroom in Ireland – the 200m2 Courtroom No. 6 - which will primarily host District Court sittings. Court sittings commenced in mid-February 2018. It is the fourth building in the Courts PPP Bundle to become operational.
In July 2012, the government announced a €2.25 billion infrastructure stimulus programme which included the construction or extension/refurbishment of seven courthouses (called the ‘Courts PPP Bundle’). In terms of scale, the Courts PPP Bundle is the largest capital building project ever undertaken by the Courts Service, delivering a total of 31 courtrooms and 36,000 m2 of accommodation nationwide.
| Location | Courthouse Buildings | Existing Area | New Area | Total Area (m2) |
| Drogheda, Co Louth | A new courthouse consisting of two courtrooms and associated facilities to be constructed on a landmark town centre site adjacent to the River Boyne. | 0m2 | 1,354m2 | 1,354m2 |
| Letterkenny, Co Donegal | A new courthouse to accommodate four courtrooms and associated facilities to be constructed on a town centre site close to the existing courthouse. | 0m2 | 5,027m2 | 5,027m2 |
| Limerick City | A new criminal courthouse to be built on a site adjacent to Limerick Prison, to include six courtrooms, custody facilities, court offices and associated facilities. | 259m2 | 7,350m2 | 7,609m2 |
| Wexford Town | The refurbishment and extension of an existing landmark building to provide a new courthouse for Wexford Town consisting of four courtrooms, Custody facilities, court offices and associated facilities. | 430m2 | 4,272m2 | 4,702m2 |
| Cork City | The refurbishment and extension of the existing landmark courthouse building at Anglesea Street to accommodate six courtrooms, improved custody facilities, court offices, the regional office and associated facilities. | 1,556m2 | 6,934m2 | 8,490m2 |
| Mullingar, Co Wesmeath | The refurbishment and extension of the existing historic courthouse in Mullingar to accommodate three courtrooms, improved custody facilities, court offices and associated facilities. | 1,798m2 | 1,459m2 | 3,257m2 |
| Waterford City | The refurbishment and extension of the existing historic courthouse in Waterford to accommodate six courtrooms, improved custody facilities, court offices and associated facilities. | 1,133m2 | 5,259m2 | 6,392m2 |
| Totals | 5,176m2 | 31,655m2 | 36,831m2 |