Christmas season starts in the village of Shankill
THE west side of Shankill village was a hive of activity last Sunday afternoon when, for a sixth successive year, ‘Christmas in the Village’ was held and drew record numbers assisted in part by the dry and wild weather conditions.
Organised jointly by the Shankill Business Group, Brady’s of Shankill, Core Credit Union Shankill, with the assistance and support of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, several days earlier the village Christmas lights were erected and added a nice seasonal atmosphere to last
Sunday’s event, especially at twilight.
This annual event is used by some local organisations to showcase their activities and some of those taking part this year included Shankill Action for a Greener Earth (SAGE), Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind, Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, St James’ Crinken, Party Picture Photobooth, Shankill Tidy Towns and Shankill FC. There were a number of stalls selling specialty foods, arts and crafts while at the Reptile Haven stand, people had the opportunity to handle non-venomous corn snakes and view other reptiles and animals they had with them.
There was a fun fair with rides and competitions, while the Shankill-Ballybrack Community First Responders provided cardiac resuscitation demonstrations. Live music also added a nice background to this event. First aid cover was provided by the Shankill unit of the Order of Malta.
At twilight, the village Christmas lights, erected earlier in the week, added a nice festival atmosphere. A special visitor was Santa, who spoke to children who visited him in his grotto specially built for this event and then departed for the North Pole shortly after 6 p.m.