Limerick’s journey from a city facing perception challenges to one of Ireland’s fastest-growing investment and innovation hubs has been nothing short of remarkable. As a finalist in the 2025 Place Brand Impact Story Awards, Limerick is being recognised for its strategic approach to place branding, which has helped elevate its global profile and attract investment, talent, and visitors.
In this interview, Aoife O’Shaughnessy, Marketing Officer at Limerick City & County Council, discusses what this recognition means for the city, the evolution of Limerick: Atlantic Edge, European Embrace, and how place branding is contributing to the city’s economic and social development.
Aoife, Limerick has been named a finalist in the 2025 Place Brand Impact Story Awards. What does this recognition mean for the city region, and how do you see it reinforcing the work that has gone into shaping Limerick’s brand in recent years?
It’s an incredible honour for Limerick to be considered for this esteemed award alongside some highly impressive place brands, all of whom are undertaking clever, creative, and innovative work. This recognition underscores the power of Limerick’s branding strategy and its ability to compete on an international stage.
For Limerick, this achievement will further shine a spotlight on our brand globally, elevating our profile and showcasing our place as a competitive destination for visitors, investment, and talent.
The 2025 Place Brand Leaders Yearbook features Limerick’s transformation, from a city once facing perception challenges to a dynamic and forward-thinking destination. What would you say has been the most significant turning point in this journey?
It’s difficult to pinpoint one single moment as a turning point. Limerick’s renaissance is ultimately the result of collaboration, strategic planning, and hard work. Several key milestones have shaped our progress, starting with Limerick City and County Council’s ‘Limerick 2030 – An Economic and Spatial Plan for Limerick’, which led to the establishment of Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC to drive the physical transformation of the city.
Beyond that, some other significant developments include:
- The launch of Limerick’s place brand to unify everything we do and elevate our profile
- The amalgamation of local authorities to streamline services
- A resurgence in Shannon Airport, strengthening Limerick’s connectivity
- Limerick’s designation as a Gateway City to the Wild Atlantic Way
- Major investment in third-level institutions, ensuring a steady pipeline of highly skilled professionals
- A forward-thinking development strategy at Shannon Foynes Port, Ireland’s largest bulk port company, located in County Limerick
While these milestones have been recent, they are the result of many years of effort, collaboration, and strategic vision.
‘Limerick: Atlantic Edge, European Embrace’ marked a pivotal moment in your branding strategy. In the showcase, you highlight how the city has since evolved this identity into a ‘different kind of energy.’ Can you share how this shift has impacted Limerick’s visibility and attractiveness, both nationally and internationally?
Limerick City and County Council launched Limerick: Atlantic Edge, European Embrace in January 2020, marking the city’s first-ever place brand. It was a pivotal moment, months in the making, that set in motion a strategy aimed at positioning Limerick as a bold, confident player on the global stage.
Since then, the brand has provided a platform for telling Limerick’s story, framing it as a great place to live, work, and visit. Every communication about Limerick now aligns with this brand lens.
Four years after the launch, we reflected on whether the Limerick message was cutting through as effectively as possible. Following extensive stakeholder engagement, we realised that Limerick is still evolving and that our brand story has room to grow. To make a real impact, we needed a single message that unites business, tourism, and education—both locally and internationally.
This evolution builds on the strong foundations already in place. While still in its early stages, the new positioning is already being rolled out across tourism and investment campaigns. It provides a clear link to Limerick’s environmental credentials and ambitions while capturing the unique energy that drives the city forward. For domestic audiences, it encourages a fresh perspective; for international audiences, it introduces Limerick as a vibrant and competitive destination.
The ‘Limerick 2030’ strategy has driven major investment, creating thousands of jobs and making Limerick one of Ireland’s fastest-growing FDI regions. How does the city’s brand contribute to this success, and what role does place marketing play in securing investment?
Most of us involved in place marketing understand that a city’s perception—both nationally and internationally—directly influences business, tourism, trade, and investment. Now more than ever, places must proactively manage their brand and reputation.
Limerick’s brand and investment proposition highlight not just economic opportunities but also quality-of-life factors. It’s not only about business and infrastructure—it’s also about green spaces, shorter commute times, excellent education facilities, sustainability initiatives, and a thriving cultural scene.
As one of the youngest and fastest-growing cities in Ireland, Limerick is increasingly recognised as a hub for innovation and creativity. The city will also soon be in the global spotlight as it prepares to host the Ryder Cup 2027 at Adare Manor, one of the world’s largest sporting events.
The ‘different kind of energy’ we promote is being embraced by stakeholders across the region. It’s encouraging to see businesses, institutions, and partners integrating this message into their own communications.
Today, 72 multinational companies have established a presence in Limerick, employing thousands of people. We also continue to attract reinvestment from existing companies. Pharmaceutical giant Lilly, for example, recently announced a €1 billion investment to expand its manufacturing footprint in the city.
Limerick has also ranked first in FDI Strategy in the European City of the Future ranking for micro-sized cities (those with a population below 100,000) for the third consecutive year. Additionally, for the first time, Limerick ranked first for Human Capital and Lifestyle, reflecting the city’s commitment to education, quality of life, and cultural offerings.
Ultimately, investors need confidence in a location’s proposition. A place brand built on strong data and a compelling message—like Limerick’s—helps create that confidence.
What global trends in city branding are you watching closely?
Like everyone else, I’m fascinated by the rise of AI. While automation is transforming how we personalise and scale messaging, place brands must preserve authenticity and trust. Place branding is ultimately about human connection, so while AI can be an incredible tool, it’s essential to balance efficiency with genuine, people-focused storytelling.
Sustainability isn’t going anywhere either and nor should it, when you consider that tourism accounts for almost 8% of global CO2 emissions. There’s a greater onus than ever for destinations that are marketing themselves as responsible, to genuinely embody this ethos, prioritising residents’ well-being as well as adopting eco-friendly approaches. There are some interesting examples of how destinations are dealing with this. Copenhagen’s CopenPay, whereby tourist’s positive behaviour is incentivised with exclusive opportunities and rewards is a fascinating recent model of destination stewardship.
Which cities, regions or countries stand out to you for their approach to place branding?
Aside from our fellow finalists, who are producing some wonderful work, I will never tire of Scotland’s nation branding efforts. Estonia, Sweden and Costa Rica are interesting in terms of the evolution of their strategies and their ability to build brand perceptions in proactive ways.
Stockport in the UK has also caught my eye recently for taking a bold, cheeky and importantly, memorable approach in challenging what naysayers might say about the place.
Thank you, Aoife – and congratulations!
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Learn more about the 2025 Place Brand Impact Story Awards and this year’s winners by visiting the Awards Page – a partnership with Brand Finance and the PLACExNordic Attractiveness Conference.
Discover more insights from place branding leaders by visiting our Who’s Who.
