Council defends cancellation of Christmas lights ceremony for Cork city

THE chief executive of Cork City Council, Ann Doherty has defended the local authority’s stance not to hold a switching on event of the Christmas lights after the decision came under fire at a meeting of council on Monday.

It followed a motion tabled by Labour Party councillor John Maher calling on the council to hold an official turning on of the Christmas lights event this year to kick off “the Christmas season in style for 2022”.

Cork City Council previously stated that there would be no official switching-on date for the Christmas lights again this year due to overcrowding concerns.

Speaking at the meeting, Ms Doherty said before the pandemic the event had grown in popularity over the years to a point where crowd management had become a concern.

“It became an event that was very dangerous, let’s call a spade a spade, because you’re funnelling a large number of unknown numbers of people into a very small space,” she said.

Ms Doherty said large events can be held in the city, but that planning “takes many, many months”.

“We’re obliged, statutorily, to advertise the holding of an event. That has to go out to public consultation. We have to engage with the other state agencies, like the HSE, the fire [service] etc.

“I would be of the opinion, what’s being asked is not deliverable this year in the timescales available and the reason we haven’t proceeded to plan for such an event is because of concerns over health and safety and because of the unknown quantity of it,” she said.

Responding, Mr Maher said that the event, last held in 2019, had given people and local businesses a boost.

“If we can do it for Patrick’s Day, we can do it for Christmas and I think as elected reps, if there is a decision to be made, we should be making it.

“It’s a very good, positive thing for the city. 50,000 people come into Cork - I think every business would love that. I think it can be managed.

“We do need to be mindful of health and safety, but this was a positive thing. It was free, it was open to all, and it was showcasing the city at the start of what is a great time,” he said.

Ms Doherty described the comparison to the Patrick’s Day parade as “unfair”.

“The difference with St Patrick’s Day is we spread the crowd right across the city.

“The issue with the switching on of the lights in the way it has emerged and developed was it funnelled everybody into a small space,” she said.

Ms Doherty said a switching on event of a different nature could be planned for 2023 but asked councillors to be “mindful” that the running of the Patrick’s Day parade costs about €250,000.

“That’s the type of money you’re looking for,” she added.

She also stated that the council has invested money into the return of ‘Glow – A Cork Christmas Celebration’ and in a marketing campaign to promote the city over the Christmas period.

Speaking to The Echo following the meeting, Sinn Féin councillor Kenneth Collins described the decision to have no official switching on event as “not good enough”.

He said the event was one children in the city had previously looked forward to and that the additional footfall had been fruitful for local businesses.