THE call has gone out from City Hall for light to be shone on its royal neighbour’s residence along the Shannon riverbank.
At the December meeting of the Metropolitan District, Fine Gael councillor Sarah Kiely proposed that King John’s Castle be lit up from the riverside to enhance the vista.
“The castle is in total darkness and this needs to be remedied,” Cllr Kiely told the Council executive.
“I’ve actually asked for this a number of years ago, when we were pre-Covid and Shannon Heritage still had the castle. Currently there are lights on the bridge with blue illuminations. I think they’re snowflakes or something,” she suggested.
Cllr Kiely went onto say that she didn’t think illuminating the castle would be a big job with one turret already lit up.
“I don’t know if this is an easy fix, but I’m hoping it is,” she said.
Cllr Daniel Butler (FG) seconded his party colleague’s motion and took the view that such a project would be a valuable investment.
“I think we should be looking overall at the strategy cost in terms of lighting up our key infrastructure pieces. I think lighting is quite effective especially in countries like Ireland that largely have dark evenings. Lighting can be viewed effective in creating an atmosphere, an ambience, and such a simple measure can make a big difference,” he opined.
In response, the Council revealed that electrical design consultancy services have been procured for the preparation of designs for the future illumination of King John’s Castle, including river-facing elevation design proposals. Funding, councillors were informed, will be required to support the installation of any approved illumination scheme.
