Cost to clean up May Eve bonfires in Limerick revealed

CLEAN-UPS after this year’s May Eve bonfires look set to cost Limerick City and County Council €33,000.

Liam Browne, a senior executive engineer at the local authority revealed the information in answer to a question from Aontu councillor Sarah Beasley at this month’s metropolitan district meeting.

He said the full cost had not been finalised, but it is expected to be around €33,000.

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This figure will not include repair works to green areas which will have suffered fire damage, he added.

May Eve is a long-standing tradition on April 30 with bonfires blazing to mark the start of summertime across the city.
But Cllr Beasley said: “While this tradition has deep roots, it increasingly involves an accumulation of a wide range of materials often including furniture with metal frames, hazardous gases and glass. All of which pose serious safety and pollution risks.”

Figures obtained by Cllr Padraigh Reale, Labour, showed that Limerick Fire and Rescue Service was called out 24 times on April 30. Hyde Road and Ballinacurra Weston accounted for one-third of these call outs, with personnel also sent to Moyross seven times and Garryowen on five occasions.

Clean-ups take place across the city following May Eve bonfires, chief fire officer Paul McMahon added in his written answer.

Now, in a bid to stamp out these illegal events in the city, the local authority is weighing up organising a community bonfire when May Eve comes around next year.

This followed a motion by Cllr Beasley.

“The proposal is to organise a well-managed bonfire event for the community to come together in a safe and controlled environment,” she said.

The northside member believes this will bring environmental safety, cost-savings, community cohesion and the preservation of the tradition of May Eve fires.

Cllr Reale also saw a motion passed, calling on the local authority to introduce a hazardous litter collection initiative in the run-up to May Eve to encourage families and households to dispose of hazardous waste and materials in a safe manner.

Aidan Finn, in the council’s environmental department outlined that they are working with the Regional Waste Office and have identified a suitable location for a hazardous waste collection day.

This would only happen if funding was made available, he added in the written answer.