Chaos as Shannon 'uproots' giant Christmas tree
Ireland's largest Christmas tree, which broke its moorings and hit Limerick city's Shannon Bridge yesterday
Saturday November 21 2009
A MAJOR operation was under way in Limerick last night to rescue Ireland's tallest Christmas tree.
The 100ft 'green tree', made from recycled steel, slipped its moorings as it was being tugged into place in the middle of the River Shannon yesterday evening.
The incident happened shortly before the official switching on of Limerick's Christmas lights by boxer Andy Lee at around 5pm. The tree swept downriver and crashed into the Shannon Bridge, where it came to a halt.
The strong flow of the River Shannon caused the tree to tilt at a 45-degree angle -- forcing the closure of the bridge for some time.
A truck with a winch remained at the scene last night as fire personnel attempted to right the tree.
The bridge was finally reopened to traffic, but the closure caused traffic chaos and long tailbacks.
- Kathryn Hayes
Irish Independent
