Ormston House

It was opened in 2011 at 9-10 Patrick Street, Limerick.[1] It was founded after art students occupied the ground floor of the 19th-century, building on Patrick Street and turned it into a gallery and cultural resource space with the support of the innovative Creative Limerick scheme.[2] They have worked with over 308 artists from 26 countries to deliver over 360 events, exhibitions and projects.[3]

The name Ormston House comes from the first self-service supermarket opened in Limerick city. It was opened by Jack Ormston in 1961 in the ninteeenth century Venetian palazzi style building on the corner of Patrick Street and Ellen Street.[4]

The building was later purchased by NAMA and in 2018, the centre was under threat of closure after New York firm Cerberus Capital Management purchased the Ormston House loan book from the NAMA, and the site was put on the open market in July 2017.[5] In response, over three thousand people signed an online petition to prevent the sale of the building on the open market.[6] In 2021, the ground floor and basement of 9-10 Patrick Street were offically purchased by Limerick Council. Following the purchase Ormston House were granted a 30 year lease from Limerick Council.[7]

Ormston House is an active member of three international networks: Artists’ Initiatives Meetings, River Cities Platform, and Trans Europe Halles.[3] In 2018, they collaborated with EVA International with featured artists and projects include Kevin Gaffney, The Museum of Mythological Water Beasts, Stanzas, THEATREclub, and World Recipe Exchange.[8]

• Official website