Christmas events in Longford spread festive cheer

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Lanesboro and Ballyleague as the local community turned out in large numbers for the Lanesboro Christmas Fair and the new Christmas lights were switched on last Friday evening.

Brand new Christmas lights were switched on last weekend in Lanesboro, while on Monday evening, December 9 the Ballyleague Tidy Towns Committee officially turned on their Christmas lights at 7pm.

The Christmas Lights committees have been praised for doing a fantastic job of bringing the Christmas cheer to the Lanesboro and Ballyleague areas, with a beautiful collection of lights including new features and displays.

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Christmas Fair organiser Margaret Gillen complimented everyone who had played a part in decorating the town.

She said there was an investment of over €20,000 in the Christmas lights this year
Hundreds of people attended the Christmas Fair between 11.30am and 1pm.

Margaret said it is a great community event for younger people and older people.

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“Some of the older people in town here never leave the town and they never have reason to go shopping or have somebody to bring them out for lunch or anything like that,” she added.

Margaret, who runs her buisness Mag's Hair Salon stated the Christmas Fair is a good social outlet for people to meet up with music and numerous attractions.

"Santa and Mrs Claus made an appearance and we had a little coffee shop and there were free gifts from Santa and about 20 Christmas trade stalls," she added.

Margaret said the Christmas Fair is also organised to provide a lift for local enterprise and businesses.

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"It's to boost the local town, help the older people to have a cup of tea and a chat and the young people come to see Santa," she said. " We have five or six young national school children who are actually taking a stall, which is great to see.”

Margaret stated running a stall gives them a chance to “handle cash and learn how to manage their own little business”.

Meanwhile, Lanesboro Community College presented their annual variety show in the Parish Hall last Thursday, December 5 with money going towards the funding of the Transition Year students' projects and it was a big success.

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Meanwhile, the inaugural Arts, Crafts and Food Christmas Market will take place at the Pier Inn, Lisnacusha, on Sunday December 15.

This will be the very first Christmas Market at the Pier and organisers believe it will be a wonderful spectacle.