President of the Irish Farmers Association Francie Gorman and The Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam and with pupils Finn Murphy (age 5) Méadbh Ní Mhaolmhuaidh (age 6) from Gaelscoil Niamh Pádraig, Lucan pictured at the official launch the IFA Live Animal Crib at the Mansion House
Calls for outdoor Nativity crib in Tallaght
Calls for an outdoor Nativity crib to be erected in the heart of Tallaght have come too late for this year’s festive season.
South Dublin Council have promised to look into suitable locations for an outdoor crib for next Christmas.
However, the use of live animals has been ruled out.
Cllr Ronan McMahon (Ind) brought a motion to the full council meeting calling on the council to “erect a large crib each year for the Christmas season, either in County Hall public area or outside in a suitable place, such as Parthalán Place” as a way to “celebrate the true meaning of Christmas”.
“A crib is a traditional symbol of Christmas,” Cllr McMahon said during the council meeting on Monday, December 8.
“Our neighbours in Dublin City Council have had a public crib for over 70 years… which has been a great success and attracts tens of thousands of visitors,” he said.
The IFA Live Animal Crib was launched by the Lord Mayor of Dublin at the Mansion House on Friday, December 5, and is Dublin’s only live animal crib featuring a live sheep, donkey and goats in the traditional nativity scene.
Cllr McMahon said it would “be great” to see something similar in South Dublin and “even better to include live animals to give the younger generation a taste of rural life in the county”.
Two amendments to Cllr McMahon’s motion were brought during the debate in the council chamber.
Cllr Emma Murphy (FF) proposed a widely supported amendment removing the phrase “to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas” from the motion.
While she said she was “fully supportive” of a crib, she asked that particular phrase be removed to make the motion more inclusive.
“We celebrate all religions and none, all festivals and none,” she said.
Cllr David McManus (FG) proposed an amendment asking the council to extend an “invitation to the Irish Farmers Association to replicate the successful live crib in place with Dublin City Council”.
A number of councillors expressed concern over the safety of using live animals in a crib however.
Addressing councillors at the meeting, SDCC’s director of community Lorna Maxwell said she also had “concerns about a live crib”.
“I really don’t think it’s something we could put in place for a variety of different reasons,” she said.
Cllr McManus later withdrew his amendment due to the lack of support it received during debates on the motion.
Following a roll call vote, the amended motion from Cllr Murphy was agreed.
In the written reply to the original motion, the council said they will “identify a suitable location and arrange for a crib of an appropriate size to be erected for the 2026 Christmas season”.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme
