Light up, light up

Christmas lights to brighten business


Rowan Gallagher

TOWNS across Mayo are getting involved in the festive cheer by lighting up the streets for the holiday period.
Westport was one of the first towns to get lit up for Christmas this year with lights going up all over the tourist hotspot even with the icy ground under foot.
On Friday evening at 5pm on Westport Mall there was a countdown as the Sacred Heart School children sang Christmas songs before the lights were turned on. Cathaoirleach of Westport Town Council, Cllr Tereasa McGuire, described the evening as magical and urged people to shop locally this Christmas.
“We hope the turning on of the Christmas lights can go some way to cheering people up coming up to the budget. The real message is for people to light up commercially and buy local, we are urging people to make sure they try and shop local and support the local businesses in the town.
“It was almost magical seeing all the children in their santa hats and singing fantastically. It’s important that we mark the Christmas period and the start of the shopping period,” Cllr McGuire told The Mayo News.
Christmas is also about to begin in Castlebar as one of the oldest and longest residing citizens of the county town turns on the festive lights. Leo O’Shaughnessy (79) will be turning on the lights with Cllr Ger Deere, Mayor, tomorrow (Wednesday) ‘to bring a bit of Christmas spirit’. Mr O’Shaughnessy has been living in Castlebar all his life and compares the county town to Dublin.
“It’s the first time I have turned on the lights in the town. I’ve lived here all my life and we have all the shops here like in Dublin – like Tesco and Dunnes – you can list them off yourself. It will be bringing a bit of cheer to the place. This town is going in the right direction I’d say,” Mr O’Shaughnessy told The Mayo News.
The Mayor of Castlebar, Cllr Ger Deere, said it was a time for the town to get a bit of festive cheer back in its step and light up the town for business people.
“It’s taking place on Wednesday evening on Bridge St opposite Elvery’s and one of the eldest men in the town will be doing the honours of bringing some festive cheer to the town. It should look fantastic and complement the great work that has been done on the new footpath construction that has been going on in town. St Joseph’s quire will be performing at the small ceremony and people from around the town should come along to watch,” concluded Cllr Deere.