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THE TREES ARE going up, the lights are going on, and for those who’d rather not begin thinking about Christmas for at least another fortnight or so, all the fuss is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Our advice? Better to give in and just enjoy it. After all, there’s only 31 days left until the 25th (and we’re just eight days from 1 December, the unofficial ‘embargo’ date at the country’s radio stations for the playing of ‘Fairytale of New York’).
So if you’re in Cork, or planning a shopping trip over the next few weeks, here’s TheJournal.ie‘s lowdown on all you need to know…
An ‘enchanted faery village’ will be the centrepiece of Cork City Council’s ‘Glow’ Christmas festival this year. ‘Tír na Nollag’ runs Fridays through Sundays at Bishop Lucey Park from next weekend, and entry is free of charge.
According to the promotional blurb, visitors “will be greeted by magical faery inhabitants as they wander around a faery woodland where the Spirit of Christmas lives”. Not the place to end up if you’re any kind of cynic, then.
Original traditional music has been created for the display, and organisers say there’ll also be a place for kids to post their letter to Santa “sprinkled with magical faery dust to ensure their wishes come true”.
Each journey through the village takes around 20 minutes.
[Image: Cork City Council]
Now that you’ve spent almost a full half-hour entertaining the kids, it may be time to head along to Grand Parade for some figgy pudding and eggnog (or whatever you’re having yourself).
The Glow Christmas Food Markets also open on the 29th, offering a range of festive treats from local producers.
Organisers have included “crepes, gourmet sausages, locally produced spiced beef, breads and fresh organic herbs” on what’s presumably not an exhaustive list of what’s on offer.
Mmm. Organic herbs…
[Image: Suzies Farm]
The main lights on Patrick Street were officially switched on last Sunday in a ceremony presided over by chat-show host and journalist Brendan O’Connor.
Impressively-sized trees are also being placed at Bishop Lucey Park, near the monument on Grand Parade, at Triskel Christchurch, outside Murrays and at City Hall.
According to the council, there’ll also be ‘festive firs’ at Boreenmanna Road, Blackrock Castle, Churchfield, Knocknaheeny, Farranree Church and elsewhere (let’s just say there’s be a lot of trees around, shall we?).
And on the subject of festive displays, it wouldn’t be Christmas in Cork without the window display at Brown Thomas:
Lifelike, aren’t they? [Image: Brown Thomas, via Twitter]
Cork City Council’s offering a free parking promotion at the moment. Bizarrely though, it comes to an end today.
Details, for what it’s worth, can be found at the council’s website.
This driver is definitely going on the naughty list [Image: Robbo-Man]
And it really wouldn’t be Christmas in Cork without…
Hype and bluster from retailers aside, Corkonians know it really must be time to start taking that Christmas shopping list seriously when the SHARE collectors arrive on the streets.
While the charity works all-year round, its most active period is at Christmas, when around 1,800 secondary school students hit the city centre with their familiar yellow outfits and collection boxes.
The organisation was founded in 1970 by Brother Jerome Kelly and the students of Presentation College, but these days schools from all over Cork are involved.
The fundraising drive begins on 14 December, with the crib at Daunt’s Square providing the focal point for the effort.
[Image: ShareCork.org]
Car crash tv for donaldson,the only thing coming out of his mouth was the protocol and had nothing to back up his claims.they are been found out for the spoofers that they are.hopefully there is a big change in northern Ireland after this election
@doyle: once a blue nose always always a blue nose. It will never get better unfortunately.
@Paul Gorry: I’m putting the monkey on us for the final. Very confident now i have to say.
@Vonvonic: iam glad it’s your monkey. Best of luck.
@doyle: DUP could be in big trouble if todays poll figures are accurate, because if the DUP and Alliance are level on 18.2% in first preference votes, then you must assume that Alliance will be far more transfer friendly than the DUP.
Early retirement for Jeffrey?
If this was a private company and they had to forsake their salaries or go back to work there is no question what they would do !
@Michael Loughnane: It was funny the only person in the audience to speak out in support of Jeffrey and the DUP’s stance on the Protocol was an Englishman.
@Joe Johnson: And that English man, Dan Boucher, is an ex Tory party activist who stood for the Torys in Wales but failed to get elected and has now joined the DUP. Possibly being lined up to take Jeff’s MLA seat so Jeff can continue as an MP in Westminster. He was also a prominent writer for Brexit Central.
Naomi Long was blindingly good tonight as was the SDLP guy. The Unionists are at each other’s throats. I hope the electorate take heed.
@Mary Conneely: Long and Eastwood were good. O’Neill afraid to open her mouth in case she put her foot in it. Beattie is the voice of reason in the Unionist camp and Eastwood is the best of the nationalist bunch, even with him being threatened with legal action by the Shinners. Sure who aren’t they threatening with legal action.
@GrumpyAulFella: Donaldsons disaster of a night as you failed to mention have shown up the dup big time..Sinn Fein an all island government soon..amazingly had only a handful of seats few years back but thanks to ff/fg mishandling the country putting it mildly they are the biggest party in the country.It must really hurt die hards like you to see Sinn Feins rise at your party’s demise.Leo and the boys think the turnaround is due to a savvy Sinn Féin social media campaign but its there total inept to do their jobs is what brought them down
@Brian Burns: You can only say that with certainty 5 years after the next general election but what’s the betting the mantra then will be 5 years wasn’t enough for SF to implement the changes needed to make our society a fairer one? I suppose a political change will be a good start but it will take some effort to get everyone on board to stop the waste and to build a more equal republic. Here’s hoping.
@Brian Burns: I’m surprised FG were not out canvassing for the DUP or the UUP
@Brian Burns: my party’s demise?? What party are you referring to? I’m afraid that 33% of the vote in the Republic, with no party willing to touch you with a barge pole will see your comrades stay on the back benches mo chara.
@GrumpyAulFella: your despise of sf,a party never in government is a result of media manipulation my friend,a subservient man who defends the government of the day without any critical thought,the polls speak for themselves, the media don’t fool the young so much as the old.Times are a changing me oul pal our day will come
@Tom Leddy: That old chestnut we hadn’t enough time,inherited a poisoned chalice nonsense that fg gave us first five yeArs after Bertie and the boys were ousted was a joke.If SF can’t implement change in five years move onto social democrats etc till some party stands up for the people..
@Shaun Gallagher: their mates in the journal did dup canvassing for them oul Jeffrey got great coverage here lately
@GrumpyAulFella:And I assume by your statement thatyou vote for FFG. I’m surprised that you haven’t also mentioned Maria Cahill like your handlers.
Sad people. They’re making it so that noone with any self respect could possibly pretend to care. Sad Sad Sad ulster unionism.
@Vonvonic: I thought they all done well except Jeffrey. He should of jumped at the chance to rejoin the UUP because the DUP hardline approach is not working anymore. The young people just think their Dinosaur attitude is from another era.
Hope that Alliance keep building election on election from here on in, a future merger/pact between them and the SDLP down the line might be the best way to go on the longer term path to normality and an eventual United Ireland as more of the TUV/DUP dinosaurs die off
90 seats, 38 constituencies! Madness. Bigger the table, less work gets done. DUP sliding can be a blessing or a hindrance as orange need representation and without it we could see a bit of anarchy. Alliance is obviously a more balanced keel so hope it manifests in the votes.
But 90 seats? – Mad Ted !
@Noel Lynn: Until 6 years ago, it was 108. High numbers were necessary to achieve the proper proportional representation and to get the Good Friday Agreement over the line.
The Alliance are just moderate unionists. They always vote that was when push comes to shove.
@Neil A Campbell: they are middle of the road with representation from many communities, not just Unionists.
@Neil A Campbell: they are middle of the road with representation from many communities, not just Unionists. That’s what makes them interesting to voters.
@Con Cussed: just as FFG/Lab are existentially committed to a 26 County state so are Alliance to a 6 County statelet. They are certainly not United Irelanders.
Jeffrey’s boycott. Sticky wicket. I see what you did there.
You can be first minister in 26.6% of the vote. It’s ludicrous
@Rory: As a result of a backroom deal, there will soon be a new Taoiseach of the Republic; a Taoiseach coming from a party which only received 20.9% of the vote. Becoming Taoiseach backed by a party which only received 22.2% of the vote, and who´s leader said in the very first press statement after the results “the people voted for change, there will be no coalition with Fine Gale” … ;-)
@Rory: Have a good look at Minister Eamon Ryan.
@Rory: insanity. But this is going to be fun to watch. The Shinners have an awful habit of slagging off Donnelly’s third level education background. I don’t think O’Neill even wen’t beyond grammar school and she’ll be the FM of Northern Ireland.
@GrumpyAulFella: read michaels reply then read yours..you have lost the room again you ain’t making sense again so you double down on your hateful anti SF rhetoric..some buzz off ya tho
@Michael Mike Mathäß: nobody will reply to that factual well spoken comment Michael get out of here
@GrumpyAulFella: Anyone who uses the name Shinners shows his party colours immediately. Intelligent people dont refer to Find Gael as blueshirts or compare Fianna Fail with brown envelopes and corruption of the highest order. Using insults instead of facts is not conversation, it just shows your lack of education in how to put your point across no matter how farcical.
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