Welcome
address by the
Provincial Grand Master of North Munster
Thomas H Peirce
I cordially welcome you to the Web-site of the
Provincial Grand Lodge of North Munster .
The Province of North Munster was
created in 1842, which at that time comprised the City and County of
Limerick, the County of Clare and the towns of Nenagh - in Tipperary,
and Charleville in North Cork.
The first Provincial Grand Master
was Bro. Michael Furnell, a Past Master of Lodge 13, and a High
Sheriff of the County of Limerick.
Lodges in the new Province
included Union Lodge 13, Eden Lodge 73, both meeting in Limerick City,
Emerald Lodge 49, Charleville, Lodge 60, Ennis - later to be named
Dunboyne Lodge after Lord Dunboyne, Provincial Grand Master from 1868
to 1881 - Lodge 107, Kilrush and St James Lodge 208 meeting in Nenagh.
In 1846, two new Lodges were formed, namely, Ormonde Lodge 201 meeting
in Nenagh, and Triune Lodge 333 meeting in Limerick City, while in
1851, Desmond Lodge 202 was formed and met in Newcastle West, Co.
Limerick.
The reorganisation of Masonic
Provinces in 1868 enlarged North Munster to include Co. Tipperary,
(excluding Clonmel, Carrick-on-Suir and Roscrea), together with
North Kerry but excluding Tralee and Milltown. This brought in two
more Lodges; St. Patrick's Lodge 311, Templemore and The Rock of
Cashel Lodge 541, Cashel, Co. Tipperary. Later on, in 1873, Excelsior
Lodge 268 was formed meeting in Limerick City.
The Province could now be said to
cover the Mid-West of Ireland, and while it continues unchanged in
area to the present day, the same cannot be said of its constituent
Lodges. As is commonly the case, some Lodges have closed while on the
other hand, new Lodges have been formed as the populace has changed or
moved away. There are at present 6 Lodges, 5 of which now meet in
Limerick City. At one stage there were 8 Lodges in the Province. As an example of how Irish Freemasonry has spread
throughout the world, the Warrant of Lodge 107, which was returned to
Grand Lodge in
1856, was subsequently re-issued to Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on
16th February 1861, and despite a period in the 1890s is still active.
Following the disastrous tsunami there in 2005, a donation was sent to
the Lodge to provide assistance direct to those in need.
In 1968, the move from
Number 6, The Crescent to 97 O'Connell Street - both of which were
rented premises - was a temporary arrangement and we always had in mind the
possibility of a permanent meeting place. In the late 1980's various
venues were considered, and eventually title to our present site at
Castle Street, King's Island - the old citadel of Limerick - and near
King John's Castle was acquired in 1995/96. This fine building is now
the culmination of all that effort and will be the home of Freemasonry
in North Munster with its developing links with the wider community
for many years to come.
The North Munster Masonic
Centre is on the site of the old St. Munchin's Parochial Hall on
King's Island, Limerick, and having retained as much of the old
buildings as it was safe to do, we have extended them to suit the
requirements of a Masonic Centre that is open to the public by
arrangement. It
is available for use by Community Groups, Schools and Voluntary Bodies
and is fully wheelchair accessible with a lift to
the first floor. Facilities include Meeting rooms,
a Museum and Library, and a Function room with full catering
facilities. The Museum has a most interesting display of exhibits with
Masonic connections showing the historical links and interaction
between the Masonic Order and the commercial and social life of
Limerick City and the surrounding area over the last 300 or more
years.
As mentioned above, the Centre is open by
prior arrangement
and visitors are most welcome. Visiting Brethren of course are always welcome at
our meetings, and non-Masons are equally welcome to visit our
premises. We are delighted to explain what Freemasons have to offer in
terms of friendship, integrity and our charitable ethos.
At present,
visits can be arranged by appointment, by sending
an email to: The
Provincial Grand Lodge of North Munster
or by text to 086 8500 597.
Alternatively, Limerick Civic
Trust is currently organising guided tours of the Centre for groups on a
pre-arranged basis and contact should be made by phoning 061 31 33 99.
Thomas H Peirce
Provincial Grand Master of North Munster
Copyright 2018 -
Provincial Grand Lodge of North Munster - All Rights
Reserved
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