14 November 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Cork city and suburbs will sparkle and twinkle this Christmas as Cork City Council are putting up more than 35 Christmas trees and 55,000 Christmas tree lights across the city centre and suburbs.
The city’s 35 outdoor Christmas trees will be festooned with 15,000 LED lights while St Patrick’s Street will boast another 30,000 overhead LED lights. In addition, 10,000 LED lights, falling tubes, stars and snowflakes will light up childrens’ hearts at ‘Glow – A Cork Christmas Celebration’.
Ten brightly-lit Christmas trees have already been installed by the Environment and Recreation Directorate in the city centre while 25 more are being put up in Blackpool, Bishopstown, St Luke’s Cross, Mayfield, Ballyvolane, Knocknaheeny, Farranree, Ballinlough, Blackrock, Boreenmanna Road, Monahan Road, Douglas, Shandon, at the North Cathedral, Turners Cross, Togher, the Black Ash Park and Ride and at Churchfield Swimming Pool.
In total, five kilometres of lights will be strung around Christmas trees in Cork by Cork City Council this Christmas.
Recent photo of Cork Lord Mayor Tony Fitzgerald meeting citizens young and older: from Cork Culture Night 2017.
Photo: Cathal Noonan
Lord Mayor, Cllr Tony Fitzgerald said: “ Cork City Council puts a great effort into Christmas each year with staff working on putting up trees, lights from late October. A big effort has also been made in recent years to change all our lights to LED so they are more energy efficient, safe and reliable. Now we have an incredible 55,000 lights around the city: so come into town in the next few weeks and enjoy the very special Cork Christmas atmosphere in the city centre”.
Cork City Council also assists traders to put up lights at Oliver Plunkett St, Caroline Street, Paul Street, French Church Street, Careys Lane, North Main St and Maylor St by providing grants of up to €70,000 in grant aid for lighting. Furthermore, it provides assistance to local resident associations who want to light up permanent trees at Bishopstown, Deerpark and Douglas Street.
The council’s Environment and Recreation Department spends €22,000 purchasing and erecting Christmas trees around the city each year while another €260, 000 is spent on lighting up the city and on Christmas events for residents and visitors to the city. Up to 50 staff and contractors from the Roads and Transportation Directorate and from Cork City Council Events spend up to up to 12 weeks working on ‘Glow’, the Christmas lights switch-on event and on installing the St Patrick’s Street lighting and the 35 Christmas trees that are enjoyed city-wide.
