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MANY FAMILIES THAT attended the Christmas lights being turned on in Dublin city centre last night were left disappointed.
Up to 40,000 people made their way into the city centre for the Christmas Procession of Light but once again overcrowding caused issues.
Last year the lighting ceremony ended early for health and safety reasons after a larger than expected number of people turned up to watch.
Appearances by a number of musical acts had to be cancelled and people reported not being about to see or hear the entertainment which inspired a new format for this year.
The plan was for two separate processions to move through the city and finish up on O’Connell Street, where the lights on a 40 foot Christmas tree would be switched on by Lord Mayor Mícheál MacDonncha and Santa.
However, it’s understood that gardaí stopped one of the processions from going on O’Connell Street due to crowd safety concerns.
‘Crowds far larger than expected’
The Lord Mayor of Dublin has arranged to meet with city officials this week to discuss what happened and see if lessons can be learned.
Speaking to reporters this morning, MacDonncha said, “I understand what happened was that the crowds were far larger than expected, much larger, and the gardaí advised that no further people should be allowed into O’Connell Street.
“So that’s why the parades were shortened, they didn’t go to their end point which was O’Connell Street before the main lights were lit on the Christmas tree.
“I understand that the parade that come onto O’Connell street from the North side was allowed onto the street but after the lights. So there were some people who were disappointed. It needs to be looked at, the organisation needs to be looked at in terms of the numbers.
I can understand the safety concerns, there were concerns that there were already too many people on O’Connell Street and more would have been let on, and that would have been a safety issue.
“I did speak to people who were on O’Connell Street, they felt there was a bit of a crush, so we need to learn the lessons from it.”
Many people took to social media to express their dissatisfaction with the event:
Toni Ann Byrne / Twitter
Toni Ann Byrne / Twitter / Twitter
TheJournal.ie has asked DublinTown - the organisers behind the city’s Christmas lights – for a comment but has not yet received one.
Prior to the event taking place, Clyde Carroll of DublinTown told this website, “You can stand anywhere and you will see the moment the lights go on and you see will see a beautiful procession.”
With reporting by Gráinne Ní Aodhna
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Well maybe the reporter just couldn’t keep a straight face
@Jake Kelly: lol!
More important he has burned down millions acres of the Amazon over 100% increase on last year and this will impact our climate the world over and still EU imports beef from Brazil.
@GO GREEN: yep – which is curious, considering that Beef could be supplied by the Irish Market, 1. Reducing the EU’s carbon footprint, 2. Supporting a fellow EU Nation’s Economy, 3. Securing fiscal security for Irish Beef Farmers, & finally, 4. Not compromising on quality of food for a marginally cheaper product, to the detriment of EU Jobs (Irish Beef Farmers).
Can you think of more reasons to support EU Industries? Write them below!
If you’re unhappy with beef imports into the EU from Brasil, you know what to do! Raise your concerns with your MEP.
Here, you’ll find the link to the contact details for your constituency’s MEP – put them to work!
Disgusting behaviour from a head of state. Politics really is the gutter these days.
@Ebeneezer Goode: reflection of harder times to come with protectionist nationalist parties getting into power everywhere.
@Monty Donotno: “getting into power everywhere” Monty, that has to be a contender for the sweeping statement of the year prize!
@Dom Layzell: Dom, doesn’t it bother you that this sort of behaviour from politicians has been linked with a rise in hate crimes? It feeds it, it encourages it, it gives it oxygen.
How would he know?
LGBT+ people deserve to live happy lives free from prejudice. For that to happen, we must all step up to help bring #homophobia, #biphobia and #transphobia to an end.
If you see it, #call #It #Out
@UCC Social Democrats Society: respect for all phobias
@UCC Social Democrats Society: #Arachnophobia, when you see a spider #Call #It #Out
@NPC4452347: are human rights a joke to you x
@UCC Social Democrats Society: Hay everyone gets stick, if your fat or skinny, tall or small, blond or red haired, you get stick and all normally from the exact same people? But there are some who are emotionally immature sociopaths who confuse pure psych hatred with banter but I think PC correctness might be fuelling the right wing in society due in part to snowflakes being over sensitive. But all the nuts are copying Trump as that might make them re-electable, not due to the crazy stuff they say but by being able to make headlines all the time? Hay Capt Chainsaw said to a woman reporter who was gay that he could cure her of it, it doesn’t mean he believes what he says but he knows that those who shout enough end up getting what they want and that is popularity???
@UCC Social Democrats Society: the worst are the biphobes! They’re disgracefully cis-normative. Hope they rot in their unsafe spaces.
Projection, much?
That was a very odd and irrelevant response.
Where did Captain Chainsaw keep it? lol.
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