The new arrival in Carrick-on-Suir is named
Lightning McClean takes to the streets of Carrick-on-Suir
The arrival of a baby elephant or giraffe in Dublin Zoo or Fota Island is often accompanied by a plea for children to come up with an appropriate name for the newborn.
Despite the absence of a Zoo in Carrick-on-Suir, school children in the town were given the opportunity to engage in a competition to name a new arrival - a long-awaited shiny new road sweeper.
Over two hundred primary school students in the town came up with some interesting names for the vehicle, which is becoming a familiar sight on the streets of Carrick-on-Suir every day.
Sweeping Beauty, Scrubber Dubber, Buster the Duster, An Scroibadoir, and Carraig na Sweeper were all suggested, but 12-year-old Lacey Waters came up with the winning name - Lightning McLean.
A ‘christening’ and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Presentation National School last Thursday when the Lightning McLean registration plate was unveiled.
Lacey, from Cregg Lawns, said she liked art and was shocked when the name she put forward was deemed the winner.
“I got the idea of the name from the film Cars and Lightning McQueen.I love art, and I enjoyed taking part,” said Lacey, who is looking forward to moving on to secondary school next September.
Town Engineer Michael Scully said the town had been looking for such a vehicle for some time, and he came up with the idea of getting a name for the road sweeper in the hope that it would create awareness about the environment.
“You would see national competitions looking for names when there is a new baby at the Zoo, so I just thought it would be a bit of fun to look for a name for the road sweeper,” said Town Engineer Michael Scully.
He said the vehicle was a new sweeper that was just for the town, and it would make it easier for staff to clean footpaths, get into tight spaces, and it would cover more ground.
Marie Cox, District Administrator, said it was decided to go ahead with a competition to name the new sweeper prior to the Clancy Festival taking place, so that it would get young people engaging about how to keep the town clean and how important it was to have the town looking well.
Jayne Garvie, District Council, said the council was delighted with the levels of participation from the schools in the town.
“It was great fun. The pupils were given colouring sheets with the sweeper located in front of landmarks in the town and were asked to come up wth a name. There were some fantastic entries and we did a poll among the staff to select the winner and they came up with Lightning McLean,” said Jayne.
Cathaoirleach Councillor David Dunne hosted the event and officially launched the new Bucher Compact sweeper. Prizes were awarded on the day, with the top ten entries recognised for their creativity, while visits to local crèches and playschools are also planned to acknowledge the best colouring submissions.
Cllr Dunne said it was great to see the arrival of the new street sweeper in the town.
“It is doing a great job, and the town is looking great,” said Cllr Dunne, who praised the town's outdoor staff for their dedication to their work.
Cllr Dunne praised the pupils of the Presentation and all those who took part for the interest they had shown in looking after their town. The event, he said, highlighted the important role young people can play in caring for their local community.
“Their enthusiasm and awareness about keeping their community clean is fantastic to see,” he said.