PASCAL Welcomes Limerick to PIE

Limerick has become the second Irish city to participate in PIE, joining Cork. Both Limerick and Cork are notable as active Cities of Learning which conduct successful Lifelong Learning Festivals as one of the ways of promoting lifelong learning throughout the city. The Limerick Festival is now in its third year. Limerick has been innovative in responding to disadvantage identified in the Fitzgerald Report on Social Exclusion in Limerick (2006) with an active City of Learning Steering Group complementing measures such as the establishment of two regeneration agencies.

A current issue for Limerick rises from the current merging of Limerick City and County Councils so that the challenge exists to develop the concept of the Learning City with that of a Learning Region. Limerick’s experience in this process is likely to provide insights for other cities facing similar challenges. Cork has been an active participant in PIE with its EcCoWell initiative so that the addition of Limerick will strengthen the already strong Irish contribution to PIE development with the se3cond and thir5d cities of Ireland now participating.