Chaos as Shannon 'uproots' giant Christmas tree

Ireland's largest Christmas tree, which broke its moorings and hit Limerick city's Shannon Bridge yesterday

Also in National News

By Kathryn Hayes

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

Download our iPhone App Now

Comments that are judged to be defamatory, abusive or tasteless will not be approved and contributors who consistently fall below these criteria will be permanently blacklisted. Comments should be concise and to the point. The moderator will not enter into debate with individual contributors and the moderator's decision is final.

blog comments powered by Disqus

National News Video

(video)

Hunt goes on for soldiers' killers

Police have launched a fresh bid to catch the gunmen who killed two soldiers in Northern Ireland, as a terminally ill man convicted of trying to torch their getaway car was told he must serve a minimum of 25 years in jail.Brian Shivers, 46, from Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, who was part of the Real IRA gang that murdered Sappers Patrick Azimkar, 21, and Mark Quinsey, 23, outside the Massereene military barracks, is suffering from cystic fibrosis and has an estimated four to five years to live.

(video)

Ireland ready to bounce back

Declan Kidney and Paul O'Connell discuss Ireland's upcoming RBS 6 Nations game against France.

(video)

Girl shot dead 'in family feud'

The 16-year-old, named locally as Melanie McCarthy, but also known by the surname McNamara, was shot in Tallaght, Dublin, last night at around 10.35pm.