In 1931, the university set up the Louisville Municipal College for blacks on the campus, making it the third municipally supported liberal arts college in the country. But the college only operated until 1951, when the university decided to integrate its programs. Meanwhile, the Limerick neighborhood had entered a period of transition. As the Irish left, blacks moved from their alley homes to the front of the streets, where they could own a cottage. In more recent years, hundreds of people have attended the annual summer Limbrick Festival, which started three years ago as a neighborhood reunion.
Limerick today is a blend of people from all incomes and ethnic backgrounds.
Deney Priddy, president of the Limerick Neighborhood Association, said about half the residents are senior citizens but younger people are buying homes there. Some Irish-Americans remain frequent visitors to St. Louis Bertrand. The Rev. Mark Heath, its pastor, estimates that about 30 percent of his parishioners are Irish-Americans from the metropolitan area. Beautification programs are now under way in the area. Members of the neighborhood association are planting fall flowers at the traffic triangle by Fifth and Kentucky streets, and next spring, more seasonal flowers will be planted.