Plan for Limerick Christmas market at The Crescent scrapes through after 'extensive discussion'

Amusements at the Ice Rink on Arthur's Quay in 2022. It was proposed for the Christmas Fayre to be moved to another location, with some suggesting Arthur’s Quay and Glentworth Street. File picture: Brendan Gleeson

After five hours of debate and offline discussions, councillors in Limerick have agreed to allow the Christmas market to go ahead at a controversial location.

While they initially met to vote on a report from the executive on whether or not a licence should be issued for Christmas in Limerick, the debates quickly intensified as an amendment was proposed that another location be chosen for the Christmas Fayre, instead of The Crescent.

Ultimately, the councillors voted on not going ahead with the amendment, meaning by default that the events at The Crescent would go ahead. Nine councillors voted against amending the location, eight voted for the amendment, and three voted to abstain (including one who voted in the online chat).

Before an amendment was even proposed, the meeting was adjourned several times, and the discussion was moved “offline”. It was proposed for the fair to be moved to another location, with some suggesting Arthur’s Quay and Glentworth Street.

After “extensive discussion”, some councillors still were unsure on what they were actually about to vote on: the licence as proposed, or the amendment.

Councillor Sarah Kiely said the issue has been “so controversial that councillors have been feeling stressed” and that they were “trying to make this work, and compromise is the name of the game here”.

FF councillor Fergus Kilcoyne reminded his colleagues to “be realistic”, and that they had already been told the fair could not be moved, and that due to the amount of stalls “there is no way in hell” these could get into Arthur’s Quay.

Mr Kilcoyne said:

This is the hardest decision I’ve ever come up against as a councillor in eight years.

Daniel Butler, who was the first to suggest the meeting be adjourned for an offline discussion, said the overall offering “looks really exciting” but maintained the issue was the location.

He asked “why would the mayor ignore” the submissions made by the public who were mostly against the road closure at The Crescent. He added there was a “hellbent obsession with The Crescent”, which is “becoming divisive and unhelpful”.

The council’s legal adviser, solicitor Ger Reidy, was “waiting in the wings” and eventually came on to explain his legal advice, and why the fair could not be moved.

Mr Reidy advised a licence was required for the event and that this opinion was shared with senior counsel.

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Mr Reidy said changing the location could be a “matter maybe for another year” and that if the licence was to be challenged, it would result in “considerable legal costs” as an application would be made to the High Court judicial review, which “would be slow”.

His legal advice was challenged by councillor Dan McSweeney, who maintained the festivities could still take place at Arthur’s Quay Park.

Councillors also heard from Big Boss Events organiser Riann O’Dwyer who confirmed all the chalets were booked and that traders were “ready to go”. But that they would “definitely not be able to put all the chalets into Arthur’s Quay”.

At The Crescent, the capacity was projected at 750, but if it had been moved to Arthur’s Quay, it would have been reduced to “100 or 150” people.