Lord Mayor defends decision to scrap live crib

Vivienne Clarke

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Caroline Conroy has defended her decision to cancel the traditional live crib at the Mansion House in favour of a “more interactive” event involving choirs, a sleigh and post box for letters to Santa.

Speaking on RTÉ radio’s News at One, Cllr Conroy said that while the live crib had been “great to look at” and had been well-organised by the IFA and the DSPCA, it had not been fully interactive with children having to look at the animals from a distance.

“We wanted to do something different this year, something more inclusive and more interactive,” she said.

Cllr Conroy said that the issue had been raised under Any Other Business at a meeting of the Council’s Protocol Committee meeting on Thursday, and was approved by the councillors present.

The new proposal would add a festive air to the Mansion House. “We wanted to set the scene of a winter wonderland. That was the motivation”.

With the live crib children had walked in one door and out the other and had watched the animals through barriers, she said. “We wanted to do something new with a more interactive element".

IFA president Tim Cullinan expressed disappointment at the cancellation of the live crib with which the IFA has been involved for over 30 years. It was sad, he said, as the event had brought joy to many children, especially city children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to see farm animals.

Mr Cullinan said he had offered to meet with the Lord Mayor to discuss the matter and address any concerns she might have. He said he had been amazed and shocked when he heard of the cancellation in a phone message.