Seven kilometres of LEDs help City Hall light up Cork for Christmas

Thu, 05 Dec, 2019 - 13:24

Alan Healy

Cork City Council has installed more than 45 Christmas trees throughout the city centre and its suburbs to kick start the city’s seasonal celebrations.

The preparations for Cork’s Christmas celebrations got underway at the start of November with six City Council staff and a crew of 17 electricians undertaking the task of lighting the streets of the city centre and erecting 45 Christmas trees with 115,440 low wattage energy-efficient LED lighting.

Cillian Jacob, Jack Crowley, Aoibhe Jacob, and Alice Crowley, The Lough, pictured at the switching on of the lights at the crib at the Lough. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan

In total, 6.8 kilometres of lights are now glistening throughout our city.

Glow, the Christmas celebration on Grand Parade adds a further 50,300 LED lights, falling tubes, decorative globes, stars and snowflakes.

Cork City Council said it is committed to decorating in an energy-efficient manner and all lighting in Cork is low wattage LEDs.

The lit tree, at Shandon, after the official switching on of the Christmas tree lights.

The Lough and Shandon were parts of Cork where Christmas installations took place.

James Nolan of Nolan's Butcher Shop and the Shandon Area Renewal Association said: “We really appreciate all of the work that has been done by our community and Cork City Council to bring this wonderful Christmas crib display to Shandon, this is a great addition to our area and we look forward to the unveiling”.

Katie Lin from Shandon, pictured at Shandon, for the official switching on of the Christmas tree lights as well as the lights on the historic area's first crib. Picture: Michael O'Sullivan

On Tuesday, Lord Mayor Cllr John Sheehan performed the switch on of the Lough Christmas Crib Display with entertainment provided by the local Maria Assumpta School Choir and circus performers and donkeys from the Liscarroll Donkey Sanctuary added to the evening’s festivities.

“Cork is a very special place at Christmas, with fantastic Christmas food markets, choral performances, a 30-metre Ferris wheel and illuminations in Bishop Lucey Park, there is so much to see and do this year at GLOW."

"The celebrations can be seen throughout the city with some fantastic events and displays to be seen like the Lough’s Christmas Crib display and the new Christmas Crib at the Butter Exchange in Shandon, which I was delighted to unveil."