Lighting up the festive season

A VERITABLE Christmas forest is being erected in Limerick this year to brighten up the festive season.

Up to 80 Christmas trees will be dotted around the city centre as part of a new five-year plan to make Limerick the most lit-up city in the country.

Businessman Michael Gleeson, who is coordinator of the Christmas lights committee, said more funding is being raised to push the Christmas lights programme.

This year the wiring and fitting network needed to be upgraded.

“We have had to invest a lot of money in this,” said Mr Gleeson.

City centre traders have contributed €80,000 and the city council has chipped in another €50,000.

“An entire new lighting system would cost in the region of €250,000,” Mr Gleeson said.

Placing 80 Christmas trees throughout city centre streets will be a huge addition to the decoration of the city for the holiday season he said.

As money this year is being spent on upgrading the electrical network which carries the lighting, the lights themselves will be the same as previous years.

Mr Gleeson said during the next five years they will make continual investment in adding new decorative features to the Christmas lights network.

“It is our aim that as this plan progresses people will come to Limerick just to marvel at the Christmas lights we will have right through the city centre,” said Mr Gleeson.

He said that as well as the city centre business, others such as auctioneers and solicitors’ firms had come on board to help finance the lights programme.

The Christmas lights will be switched on by Mayor Michael Hourigan on December 3.