The Christmas street lights in Castlebar are an eyesore but no one will take responsibility for them.
Five years ago Christmas illuminations in the form of strings of light bulbs were put up in Castlebar to decorate the town for the festive season.
The lights were never taken down and last Christmas the ESB declined to switch the current on citing health and safety concerns. The Christmas lights still remain in place although now,
Ragged, battered, torn and worn are ugly, useless fittings.
The idea for these electric decorations originated from the town's illuminations committee, who received a £3,000 bank loan for which Castlebar Chamber of Commerce went guarantor. None of this money has been repaid, and neither has the interest on the loan.
Local traders are refusing to take them down. Castlebar Urban Council also absolved itself of any responsibility, and members of the illuminations committee have not come forward with a solution either.
Willie Cresham, chairman of Castlebar Urban Council who was on that committee maintains that,
Nobody seems to take responsibilty one way or the other.
Secretary of Castlebar Chamber of Commerce John McHale believes that the project was overambitious for the illuminations committee, and that their initial enthusiasm ran out of steam.
While he does acknowledge there are solutions to the problem, he doubts that the lights will be switched on this Christmas,
I cannot see any hope in that.
A 'Newsbeat’ report broadcast on 13 November 1968. The reporter is Cathal O’Shannon.
'Newsbeat' was a half-hour feature programme presented by Frank Hall and ran for seven years from September 1964 to June 1971. 'Newsbeat' went out from Monday to Friday on RTÉ television and reported on current affairs and issues of local interest from around Ireland. The final programme was broadcast on 11 June 1971.
