JOLLIES were certainly had in Limerick over the 2024 festive season. Forget mistletoe and wine, there were €1,000 Christmas trees, spooky ghost trains that disappear into thin air, and a Santa’s grotto asking higher rent than half the properties on Daft.ie. Well, that’s according to John Moran’s little helpers in the Council chamber anyway.
The ghost (train) of Christmas past showed up and bit Mayor Moran and his Council cronies on their fleshy hindquarters at last week’s Metropolitan District meeting.
City councillors were not at all pleased at the sums of money spent from local authority coffers on a fun-filled festive bonanza. But then, nothing says Christmas like splurging taxpayers’ money on a ghost train that doesn’t show up and a grandstanding festive soirée up at the O’Connell monument.
Christmas 2024 was dissected by irate local representatives who came over all bah humbug as they sought clarification in relation to some of the local authority’s spending. The festive cheer was long gone, and Limerick’s first citizen was once again in councillors’s aim. Gunning for him, they are, and potshots aplenty were taken at last Monday’s meeting.
Was it gold Christmas trees they had up at the mayor’s magical winter procession? councillor Sarah Kiely inquired.
A 24-carat jibe from the Fine Gael woman, indeed.
Cllr Kiely was not at all happy with the Council’s extravagant spending habits and felt they had been left with more questions than answers. She gave Council management a severe dressing down.
“I do see as well that €1,600 was spent on a Santa’s Grotto for half a day. I’ll dress up as Santa, if you like, and do it for half that price,” she said.
“With the trees up at the Crescent costing 10 grand for a tree, they must be made of gold.”
With Santa Claus for 2025 now sorted out for future Council events, king of the elves, often referred to as Priomh Chomhairleoir of Limerick City and County Council, young Dan McSweeney had the abacus out to make his calculations on spending.
“We spent €9,550 on Christmas trees across the city and €15,000 for Christmas tree installation. We spent €20,887 around the Crescent road closure and activities up there, but that doesn’t include any of the Christmas trees or installation. We also had a traffic management plan for Cruises Street which is pedestrianised,” he reminded the Council executive.
Cllr Daniel Butler (FG) only had one word for it: “Bananas”.
“There was spending of €1,600 for a grotto for a couple of hours, it’s just incredible stuff.
“If it was a private business, they’d be up and gone out of business for investing that much money for that level of return,” he fumed.
The City West representative was stunned by the amount of money wasted “left, right, and centre” on the Christmas in Limerick budget.
“We could have done a hell of a lot more with it,” the unhappy elf insisted.
When it comes to festivals, Limerick Council, as anyone who remembers Paddy Expo will confirm, is “last minute dot com”, in Butler’s humble opinion.
“We have absolutely thrown money away on this. We are in trouble guys, we are in a heap of trouble,” Fine Gael’s prophet of doom proclaimed.
Social Democrats councillor Elisa O’Donovan was also well weary of taking the hit for the local authority’s laxity when it comes to festive cheer.
“Since I became a councillor in 2019, I have to admit, it’s gotten progressively worse. And that’s really embarrassing for a lot of us here,” Cllr O’Donovan declared.
Tooting over Toots the Train, she was not at all impressed that €5,000 was spent on a “ghost” train which proved a no-show.
“This is alarming. We are not learning any lessons. This is taxpayers’ money that is being used. We gave money to a ghost train that didn’t show up,” Cllr O’Donovan added.
The City West representative told the Council executive that every year she has people contacting her to say “this is the worst Christmas” they ever had.
A tough audience this lot, and the poor councillors taking it on the chin from Joe Public.
In fairness, for a man that often considers living off grid, I have to say Santa Claus really has the right idea – visit people only once a year!
