Limerick urged to save on clean up costs with centralised May Eve bonfire event

Limerick City and County Council has been urged to replace unregulated May Eve bonfires with a centralised event and so avoid tens of thousands of euro in clean-up costs.

Local councillor Sarah Beasley said: “May Eve bonfires have been a tradition for so so long, my mom still talks about it. But what’s happening now is we have got bonfires still smouldering all over the city. 

“If we had one centralized bonfire that we could all enjoy, it would be a fantastic celebration.”

Last year, the clean-up after the May Eve bonfires cost Limerick City and County Council approximately €33,000.

This year, crews from Limerick Fire and Rescue Service were mobilised to 21 bonfires incidents overnight.

It is understood eggs and rocks were thrown at some firefighters at a few locations across the city.

Ms Beasley added: “There’s gonna be a huge cost now to cleaning it up. And also, the scorched grass just doesn't recover, and kids play around here most of the time.

“It’s a conversation we need to have again with the council. What is the cost of clearing up the bonfires all over Limerick City in relation to having one big celebration for all the families?” 

May Eve bonfires are linked to the Bealtaine, an ancient Celtic tradition representing a transition to the warmer half of the year.

The tradition was common in Europe but mainly survived in the east of Ireland and in the Munster region. Larger communal fires are still popular in Limerick.

Ms Beasley said “cities like Cork” have already shown “it can work brilliantly”.

Over the last couple of years, there has been a decline in the number of bonfires taking place across Cork on St John’s night in June.