Winter Lights bring Christmas sparkle to iconic Dublin sites

Dublin’s City Hall as ‘Winter Lights Dublin City’ went live last night

Eimear Rabbitt

There will be plenty to look at as you wander the streets of Dublin over the coming weeks as some of the capital's iconic sites have been brought to life especially for Christmas.

After nearly a year of planning, the Winter Lights Dublin City went live last night.

The aim of the Dublin City Council (DCC)initiative is to illuminate the city this festive season in 13 locations for 31 days - until January 2.

The buildings and sites now illuminated with enhanced Christmas lights are: City Hall, Trinity College, Liberty Hall, Civic Offices, GPO, the Mansion House, Hugh Lane Gallery, Custom House, Covanta Dublin Waste to Energy Plant in Poolbeg, Samuel Beckett Bridge, Millennium Bridge, O'Connell Street and Parliament Street.

DCC said the aim of the initiative was to enable Dublin to take its place amongst the iconic 'Cities of Light' around the world.

Winter Lights Dublin City is aiming to be more eco-friendly, and 157,800 low-power LEDs, 100 tonnes of equipment and 15,780 metres of cable have been used to illuminate the city.

Lord Mayor Nial Ring

Lord Mayor of Dublin Nial Ring said: "My team of helpers has been working as hard as Santa's elves to make the vision of Winter Lights Dublin City a reality."

"Christmas is a wonderful, magical and enchanting time of year, and the lighting of some of the city's great iconic buildings and structures will give everyone another reason to visit the city and view this exciting new seasonal experience," he added.

Safety

The council made the decision to replace the traditional Christmas lights ceremonies in the city centre, citing health and safety concerns involved due to the large number of people who attend.

In 2016, the headline act due to perform at Grafton Street's Christmas lights ceremony was cancelled due to safety concerns, as 15,000 people turned up for the event.

Speaking last month at an Oireachtas Committee, Fine Gael Senator Jerry Buttimer said the cancellation of the lighting ceremony this year was "unprecedented" and he was "very disappointed" by the council's decision.