Fitzgerald Calls For Action On Cork-Limerick Motorway

Following the unveiling of the Government’s Capital Spending Plan this week, Munster Rugby CEO Garrett Fitzgerald voiced concern over the plan’s lack of provision for a Cork-Limerick motorway.

In speaking with Cork’s 96FM earlier this week, Fitzgerald stated the club’s desire for the much needed roadway between the province’s two largest cities.

“Our view on it is, this is not a Cork, Limerick, or a local issue, we see this as a regional and provincial opportunity to promote the economy and to get business moving between two of the bigger cities. They are the only two cities that don’t have a motorway connecting them, and the Limerick-Galway motorway is almost finished.

“In Munster Rugby we are in a situation where we have a business operating in Cork and Limerick. We had a turnover last year of 14 million and between direct employment and players we employ about 140 people.

“The people who generate income within our business move between both cities on a regular basis and attendances and ticket income at games are one of our main sources of income.

“When we did our strategic plan a number of years ago, and our long term plan, we planned on the basis that the motorway would be there and it was to be a 55 minute journey.

“The situation at the moment is that sometimes, if it’s at the wrong time of the day, it’s easier for us to meet a person from Limerick in Portlaoise than it is to go to Limerick to meet them.

“As I said it’s not a local issue, it is for a lot of politicians, but we are talking about trying to boost the economy outside of the greater Dublin area and surely this is one of the things that should have received priority.

“I totally understand what it is costing and I understand that that volume of money is not always readily available, but as we see exactly with the Dunkettle Interchange and with other projects like that, the planning and everything is ready to go.

“This surely should be going into planning and they should be providing for it, and when they have the money for it at least let it be ready to go. However, it doesn’t appear anywhere on the radar at the moment and we just find it disappointing, and it’s very restrictive for our business.

“You have a situation where there is a fantastic airport in Shannon and they are trying to grow Cork airport also, but currently for people in Cork and Limerick, instead of inter-changing to spend money within the region, it’s easier for them to go to Dublin and we’re driving the money out of our own region and the economy is suffering as a result of it.

“We’re talking about a Rugby World Cup bid that the government is backing for 2023 and all this infrastructure is hugely important and that’s what the people demand today. They want service, they want to get to places properly and if they get there they’ll spend their money. At the moment I just think we’re restricting the whole economy of the province, the movement of people, and trying to get people to spend their money in the province. Instead we’re making it easier for them to spend it outside of Munster.”

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