The future of the Georgian House is in doubt after a decision was taken to close its doors to visitors next month, with the loss of five jobs.
Originally built in 1830, the house on Pery Square was restored to its former glory by Limerick Civic Trust and opened as a visitor centre in 1999.
The restoration project, led by the late Denis Leonard, was hailed as a great success and a showcase of the city’s Georgian architectural heritage.
The Georgian House and Garden, will continue to host meetings and receptions but tourists to the city will only get to visit the house by booking one of the civic trust’s walking tours, which were launched recently to great fanfare.
Staff at the Georgian House, some of whom have worked there for 17 years, were informed of their redundancies by James Ring, who was appointed manager of the civic trust last year.
“We haven’t decided as yet what is going to happen,” he said. “We were losing a lot of money on the house, the business plan wasn’t working so we need to rethink the business of the house and how we do our business in there.”
Two staff at the Bishop’s Palace have also been made redundant, leaving Mr Ring as the only person directly employed by the trust.
Mayor Jim Long expressed his disappointment at the announcement, saying he will “use the powers of the mayor’s office to make sure the Georgian House is opened as a matter of urgency.