Limerick to shrug off crime city stereotype
Forbes plans prestige event after Collison row
A LOCAL authority complained of ‘lazy, ignorant stereotyping’ and warned that an article by US business magazine Forbes was ‘hugely damaging’ to the reputation of Limerick.
The piece – which referred to Limerick as ‘Stab City’ – caused international headlines after detailing the ‘escape’ of billionaire brothers Patrick and John Collison from Ireland to Silicon Valley.
Records from the local authority show how they contacted Forbes to say the image portrayed was ‘outdated’ and did not accurately reflect a ‘thriving cosmopolitan European city’.
Forbes removed the article, which sparked a furious local reaction, from its website shortly after publication saying it did not meet the magazine’s editorial standards.
Internal emails reveal how Limerick City and County Council contacted the media firm within hours of the article appearing online.
One email said: ‘Like all cities, Limerick did have issues with gangland crime 20 years ago but since then has been a thriving cosmopolitan European city with no serious crime issues, certainly not “[the] murder capital of Europe”.’
It added that it would be ‘hugely damaging’ to the city if left online as Limerick tried to reboot its economy following the Covid-19 pandemic. In later correspondence, Laura Ryan – the head of marketing and communications from Limerick City and County Council – said she was sorry to hear that staff at Forbes has been subject to ‘personal attacks’ on their social media accounts about the article.
She wrote: ‘I thank you and Forbes for removing the article swiftly once this was brought to your attention and admitting it failed to meet your editorial standards.’
Forbes subsequently offered to host a 30 Under 30 gathering event for young successful entrepreneurs in Limerick, in correspondence with Limerick Lord Mayor councillor Michael Collins.
The offer met with delight within the council. An email to Forbes said: ‘That is super news; this will make a lot of people in Limerick VERY happy. The mayor will respond positively tomorrow.’
One internal email said: ‘I know people will be looking for an apology but that’s not going to happen, and this is much better.’
The article caused an international stir after the Collison brothers – billionaires from the success of their payments company Stripe – said the article was unfair.
Younger brother John dismissed the feature as ‘daft’, while older sibling Patrick wrote: ‘Not only mistaken about Limerick but the idea of “overcoming” anything is crazy. We are who we are because we grew up where we did.’