Shedding light on proceedings

The Roscommon Town Christmas Lights Committee was formed in 1992, when, despite the best efforts of all involved, Roscommon Towns festive illuminations were not of a very high standard.   The Roscommon Chamber of Commerce addressed this problem by forming the Lights Committee under the direction of Mr. Paddy O’Rourke, the then manager of the local ESB office. This was an inspired appointment as the expertise that Paddy O’Rourke brought to the project set the foundation for what is today one of the finest displays of Christmas lighting to be seen in a comparable county town in Ireland.   The original committee put in place a plan to immediately set about a comprehensive lighting scheme that would be added to year on year with the emphasis on a five-year plan to illuminate the entire town rolling out to the current situation where over €100,000 of festive theme lighting is owned (and paid for in full) by Roscommon Lights Committee.   The current committee is chaired by John Doorly. Secretary is David Kearney, Treasurer is Liam Fleming and the PRO is Aidan Farrell.     John Doorly told the Roscommon People that: ‘While Christmas has been hijacked by commercialism in so many areas, the lights committee has successfully managed to involve many non-commercial aspects to its annual project. The switching on of the lights is one of the very special events in Roscommon Town’s annual calendar’ he said.    The lights are erected to the highest electrical standards and the money is raised by an annual subscription levied on the business and professional community of Roscommon town. This is a very modest sum comparable to the quantity and quality of the lighting display but reflects the enormous voluntary effort shown each year in the erection of the festive lighting.    Roscommon County Council also makes a significant contribution, which it includes in its estimates annually for all towns in the county wishing to apply.    ‘We also have received personal donations from private individuals and householders and although these are not canvassed we feel it shows how the community at large view and appreciate the voluntary element and success of the project’ says John Doorly.    ‘We are indebted to the businesss people of the town for their support over the years and we hope the same support will be forthcoming this Christmas. There are a lot of new businesses that have opened up in the town in recent years and we hope they will come in and support us too. We will be out collecting that money over the next couple of weeks’ said John Doorly.   Many local groups are involved with the festive lights project. The County Council and the Garda are involved from the beginning, as without their help and co-operation the project could not take place. ‘We have to thank Dermot Hughes for his help with the sleigh. It helps to make the day’ says John Doorly.