to Preserve & Commemorate the Historic Tait's Army Clothing Factory in Limerick

In the mid-nineteenth century, most of the uniforms that were worn by British soldiers in the Crimean War, and Confederate soliders in the American Civil War, were made in Peter Tait’s factory in Edward St, Limerick City, Ireland. They were not generic uniforms – they had a specific design, and the tunics in particular were known as ‘Tait jackets’, carrying brass buttons stamped with ‘Tait’ and ‘Limerick’. The tale is made even more dramatic when you learn that Tait had to buy shares in a steamship blockade runner, in order to get the Limerick-sewn uniforms through the Union blockades that were stopping all deliveries into the southern states during the Civil War. This story is absolutely remarkable. Tait’s Army Clothing Factory is hugely important and should not be materially changed. It was once one of the biggest clothing factories in the world, and supplied uniforms for absolutely key historical events. It’s a valuable part of the history of the American Civil War, and has huge potential as a stopping-point in a tourist trail devoted to that. The factory was also a massive part of the lives of ordinary Limerick people for a very long time; it was a huge source of employment for Limerick women, and it even featured in the award-winning play ‘Pigtown’ by Mike Finn. Currently, there are plans by Limerick City Council to build new housing units on the Tait site, as part of the Limerick Regeneration project. The date for objection has passed. You can still apply to see the plans in Limerick, but this must be done in person as they are not available online (because this is a Plan 8, between local authority and councillors, they are not required to). Emails from the planning dept there have communicated that although the building will go ahead, that the factory buildings will be 'incorporated' into the design. This petition asks Limerick City Council to do what they can to keep the factory buildings intact, to keep them separate from any new structures that will go in the space, and to commemorate the site with information that explains how important a heritage site it is. This petition asks the Council to consider developing the factory as a tourist attraction/ museum, which will bring jobs and visitors to the area.