A LIMERICK community, which observes the popular city tradition of lighting May Eve bonfires, were disgusted this year to find household rubbish dumped at fire sites.
Garryowen Residents Association chairman John Nugent told the Limerick Post that the tradition this year was “a far cry from the annual celebration it once was.”
He said that while community events like bonfires have been known to be disrupted by unruly youths at times, “this time it was the adults who ruined bonfire night.”
Mr Nugent said that in days gone by “it was a welcome event in many estates, a time of social interaction enjoyed by all ages, sweets and fizzy drinks were a welcome part of the occasion.
“The weeks leading up to bonfire night would see children gathering scraps of wood. Shoulders, bicycles and carts would be used to ferry the wood to a designated spot. All of this took leadership skills and team work.”
But he said that this year has seen an unprecedented amount of illegal dumping.
“May Eve seems to have become a sort of open night for fly tippers. They spot a potential fire site and dump there unchallenged. Politicians take to social media to voice their apparent disgust but yet nothing changes.”
“Once the debris is cleared, the residents association will cover the scorched areas with a dressing of topsoil and grass seed to rejuvenate the green spaces synonymous with Garryowen.”
“What’s happened here is a slap in the face to the hugely positive effort put in by this community for the Team Limerick Clean-Up on Good Friday,” Mr Nugent declared.
