This article is from page 33 of the 2008-09-09 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 33 JPG
THE people of Shannon are being urged not to light bonfires this Hal- loween, after a number of unsavoury incidents occurred last year.
The advance call has come from Labour councillor Greg Duff, who said that a lot of negativity 1s associ- ated with bonfires.
Last year, members of Shannon Fire Brigade were at the receiving end of abuse as they attended to bon- fires at Halloween. They had timber
and eggs thrown at them at a bonfire at Rineanna, while they had bottles thrown at them at a bonfire in New- market-on-Fergus.
Councillor Duff is suggesting, in- stead, that residents’ groups centre their Halloween celebrations around JETOOD UN AOE NACE
This comes in the wake of hassle associated with fires in recent years and he doesn’t want this to happen Noe NUON UISEN( orb
“Last year, young children of eight or nine were transporting items
across the road to the fires and they looked like dumps as people used bonfires to get rid of all types of items, some of which were hazard- ous,’ said Cllr Duff.
He said that various residents groups in Shannon have organ- ised family fun days this year. “We should look at having some events that would take the focus away from having bonfires, around the time,” he SLU TegeZeR Kore
At a meeting of Shannon Town Council last week, he urged his fel-
low councillors to get behind his proposal.
“T think there’s an onus on us as politicians in the town to maybe not solve all the problems associated with Halloween, but to put together a community event,” said the Labour councillor.
‘‘T remember it as a happy event, but now it is an event for some people to Ker: Kom NOE RY O(oIO MAM NoMCT BLOB
Fianna Fail councillor Sean Hillery agreed and said he would support his colleague’s motion.