Santa Claus lights up Lucan village on a Honda Goldwing
By Brendan Grehan
THE Christmas lights were lit up in Lucan village on Sunday coinciding with a visit from the main man, Santa Claus.
Santa arrived at the Spa Hotel at 3.30 in the afternoon and left his sleigh and reindeer parked in St Catherine’s Park.
(front, from left) Aedán Ó Dúil, Chloe Casley, Caroline Brady, Mary Meehan, Barbara Cummins and Joe Brady; (back row) Mrs Claus (Ian McClean), Santa Claus and Sam Cummins
By all accounts the reindeer had a good rest and loved grazing in the park.
The big man was then whisked away by the Honda Goldwing Club of Ireland.
Caroline Brady from the Lucan Christmas lights organising committee told The Echo: “Santa did two laps of the village.
His Honda Goldwing’s sidecar was stuffed full of presents and he had a garda escort.”
Santa then did a walkabout on the village green before retiring to his grotto.
The 180th Lucan South Scouts supplied the tent which the committee used for the grotto.
They decorated it with Christmas lights and Finnstown Castle Hotel supplied a large red chair for the big man to sit in and meet the local children.
Caroline estimates that over 400 children got to see Santa on Sunday.
She said: “I know that Santa brought 500 gifts with him from the North Pole for the children. He was left with under a 100, so that was a pretty good turnout.”
The children from Lucan Comhaltas performed Christmas classics as gaeilge and Lucan Gospel Choir sang “Santa Claus is coming to town”.
CÓRus sang “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” and then Mayor Councillor Vicki Casserly and her son James switched on the Christmas lights at 5pm.
Caroline said: “Santa then told us he’s all set for Christmas Eve and looking forward to his whirlwind tour of the world.
We promised him we would leave milk, cookies and carrots out on Christmas Eve and then we said our goodbyes as he headed back to the North Pole.
“We were very lucky with the weather. It was a windy afternoon but the rain held off until after five when the Christmas lights were switched on. It turned out to be a great afternoon.”
Lucan Christmas Lights is a free family fun day sponsored by South Dublin County Council and supported by Lucan An Garda Síochána.
The event was organised by the Lucan St Patrick’s Day Parade committee: Peter Brady, Barbara Cummins, Mary Meehan, Caroline Brady, Aedán Ó Dúil, Denise Brady, Sam Cummins Casley, Richie Casley, Paschal Kirwan, Declan Brady, Bernadette Kaluzny (South Dublin County Council) and Garda Jim Reidy and Garda Ann Marie Gabbett (Lucan Community Gardai).
Caroline said the event would not have happened without the assistance of the South Dublin Council and the gardai in Lucan.
She added: “Thank you to Lucan Disability Action Group, 180th Lucan South Scouts, Lucan Gospel Choir, CÓRus, Ian McLean (Mrs. Claus), Mayor Vicki Casserly, Joe Keegan, Lucan Red Cross, Finnstown Castle Hotel, South Dublin Volunteer Corp, Ahmadiyya Muslim Association and a big ‘thank you’ to the Honda Goldwing Owners Club of Ireland for transporting Santa safely into Lucan.”
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